"If he knew Bruno had done it, why didn't he turn him in? What did he feel about Bruno besides hatred and disgust? Was he afraid? Guy didn't clearly know" (pg. 102).
This quote shows how uncertain Guy is about Bruno. Guy, who seems to be a very intelligent man, knows that Bruno is nothing but trouble, and therefore knows he should not listen to anything that he has to say. However, there is some part of Guy that is intrigued by Bruno and wants to follow what he says. These lines show the actual struggle that Guy has with himself over what to do about meeting this stranger. After reading the entire book, it is clear that Guy decided to think with his heart instead of his brain and complete the plan that Bruno had made.
“’At times like this,’ she said quietly, ‘you make me feel like we are complete strangers’” (pg. 133).
This quote is very ironic to the readers that have read the entire book. Anne tells Guy that she feels like the two of them are strangers, when they have been dating and are planning on getting married soon. This statement is so ironic because Bruno, who is an actual stranger to Guy, acts like he has known Guy his whole life and they are best friends. The readers know that Guy and Bruno are actually strangers that did meet on a train, but when Anne says this she has no idea about how Bruno and Guy became “friends”.
“The inert and the active, once considered opposites, were now known to be one. And Bruno, [Guy] and Bruno. Each was what the other had not chosen to be, the cast-off self, what he thought he hated but perhaps in reality loved” (pg. 180).
This quote talks about the relationship between Bruno and Guy and how they almost seem like foils of each other. At the beginning of the book, Bruno and Guy were opposites. Bruno always had his mind on murdering people, while Guy just wanted to marry his fiancé Anne. However, as the book continues to unravel, the two start to seem more alike than different. After Guy decides to kill Bruno’s father, Guy starts to act in the same manner as Bruno and the two seem to be very attached to one another. The two characters are almost like the same person during parts of the novel.
“Anne is like light to me, Bruno remembered Guy once saying. If he could strangle Anne, too, then Guy and he could really be together” (pg. 250).
This quote shows how obsessive Bruno has become over Guy. His plan towards the beginning of the book was just to kill Miriam in exchange for the murder of his father, but now Bruno is considering killing Anne in the same way he killed Miriam. In this moment, it is clear that Bruno wants Guy all for him and the theme of sexuality is brought up. Bruno seems to love Guy in a far deeper way than just as a friend, and he shows that he will do anything to be able to be with Guy. The real psychotic Bruno is able to be seen in just these few lines
“He was standing beside Anne, and Bruno was here with them, not an event, not a moment, but a condition, something that had always been and always would be. Bruno, himself, Anne” (pg. 193).
In this quote, it becomes clear that Bruno is a third wheel with Guy and Anne. Bruno has always been obsessed with everything related to Guy and his unhealthy fascination keeps getting worse throughout the book. At this point in the story, Bruno wants desperately to have Guy all to himself, but Anne is the person that Guy loves. However, Bruno will not give up on his relationship with Guy and decides to put himself right in the middle of it, alongside Anne. It is almost like a love triangle.