BRIAN

• [Beginning- MORAL]

  "I think we should tell someone"

  'CATHY grinning, BRIAN crying'

  Brian has moral intentions- he is gentle, compassionate and fragile which is why he isn't respected within this cruel hierarchy of the group.

  He is un-appreciated by his peers and is mocked and deliberately outcasted. - Arguably, his bullies use him as a way of making themselves feel better because they are also feeling like him but struggle to express this. This again reiterates the need for society to intervene and show compassion.
• [Middle- UNSTABLE/ TRAUMATISED]

  "Did you know ... Brian is on medication" ," I feel terrible inside"

  Brian's first signs of instability are shown as he is threatened and forced to lie to the authorities.

  For Brian, there is no opportunity to rebel against Phil's decision as his weak character would suggest he is a victim of bullying, even outside of the group. Therefore although he is mistreated by the group, they still provide him with a sense of belonging which is what forces him to do as they wish him to .
• CONTINUED...

  Brian has shown a sensitive and moral reaction.

  "Inside"-> his soul.

  This shows that Brian is feeling horrible mentally and physically which can show the care and attention he has towards the wrongdoings made by the group.

  ->Brian is consumed by the feeling of guilt.
• [Ending- MENTAL INSTABILITY/ GUILT/TRUMA]

  "Shall we eat the earth"

  -> AT THE START OF THE PLAY: "We got him (Adam) to eat some leaves..."

  Kelly creates a link between Brian and Adam in order to show how they are both victims of the group's violent behaviour.

  Brian has become unstable due to being pressured by the group into doing immoral things such as lying to the police and ruining the life of an innocent man.
• CONTINUED...

  Kelly believes that in order to break the ongoing cycle of violence that teenagers are trapped in , they need adults to spot this behaviour and interfere by role modelling moral ways of acting.
• "Brians on stronger and stronger medication", "Its either drooling or giggling ".

  Brian had moral conscience and wanted to do the right thing which is to confess to their bullying of Adam.

  "stronger medication"- Through the use of repetition there's an emphasis on "stronger" in order to symbolise his growing guilt which is becoming unbearable.
• • CONTINUED...
  • By the end of the play, Brian is entirely consumed by his guilt which surfaces in the form of instability.
  • He can no longer communicate clearly and has lost his drive to be moral.
  • His deterioration causes him to act similarly to a child. -> Perhaps this could symbolise his desperation to be innocent and pure again/ to start over.