Local Woman Missing

Most of the characters either have a secret to keep or are lied to by someone that does. Meredith keeps secrets from Josh, Bea keeps secrets from Kate, Marty keeps secrets from Cassandra, who in turn keeps secrets from Meredith. Even young Leo is initiated into the world of secret-keeping when he makes a shushing sound and holds a finger to his lips when Meredith asks him what happens at Charlotte’s house, suggesting that his bully told him not to tell.

Most secrets serve, or are at least intended, to protect someone from something, whether the motives of the secret-keeper are selfish or benevolent. Secrets fester and become more problematic the longer they are kept; for instance, when Cassandra finds out that Meredith and Marty knew each other, she assumes that they are currently having an affair because they didn’t disclose that they had dated.

Most significant is Bea and Meredith’s secret of killing Shelby and hiding the body. Bea kills Meredith and kidnaps Delilah to keep this hidden. By suggesting that secrets are the norm rather than the exception, Kubica critiques The Oppressive Suburban Environment.