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Act 2, Scene 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in If We Were Villains, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fate vs. Free Will
Identity and Disguise
Love and Sexuality
Theatre and Corruption
Summary
Analysis
Oliver wakes up next to Meredith after a brief sleep. He notices that she, too, is covered in bruises. Wanting water, he moves toward a bathroom. On his way, he notices that Alexander’s room is empty. When he enters the bathroom, he sees James crouching naked by the toilet. He tells Oliver that he had been showering and then gotten out to vomit. As Oliver gets his water, James asks him about Meredith. Oliver tells him that Richard’s going to kill him, to which James responds, “That did seem to be his plan.” Oliver asks him where Richard is, and James says that he doesn’t know.
The fact that Meredith has bruises all over her body—not just on her elbow—confirms that Richard abused her outside of what Oliver witnessed onstage. It puts Meredith’s advances toward Oliver in a new light: she’s been desperate to escape Richard’s cruelty and violence with someone mild and gentle. James’s behavior seems odd in this scene, but Oliver believes that he’s merely drunk. Notably, Oliver talks about Richard in the future tense, and James replies using the past tense.
Themes
James asks Oliver if he’s going back to Meredith’s room. Oliver tells James that he doesn’t think of Meredith as a one-night-stand, and James reacts confusedly. Oliver says his name, unsure of what he’s going to say, and notices the drops of water on his cheeks when he turns to face him. Oliver tells him he has vomit on his face, and both boys become embarrassed and self-conscious. Oliver wishes him a good night and leaves.
James doesn’t seem happy that Oliver is going back to Meredith’s room instead of the room they share—and it seems to surprise him that Oliver would value Meredith above a one-time fling. It seems possible that Oliver is about to reassure James of his importance to him when he says his name, but he loses the nerve. It’s unclear whether the drops of water on James’s face are just from the shower, or whether he’s actually crying. At any rate, he seems to be having an especially difficult evening.
Themes
