Essay Questions

Why does Guy not follow through on his promise to commit murder?

Ultimately, Guy does not follow throughout on his promise to commit murder because of who he is. Unlike Bruno, Guy is not a psychopath with a taste for blood. He can't easily kill people and even if he did, he would feel horrible -- because unlike Bruno, Guy is a normal human being with normal and reasonable human emotions. Bruno of course does not like this, especially considering he has already committed the murder Guy wanted him to. Further illustrating the disparity between the two characters, Bruno feverishly tries to pin the murder he committed on Guy because Guy didn't live up to his promise.

How does Alfred Hitchcock portray Bruno as a homosexual?

Because of the censor rules that governed films of the era, Hitchcock was unable to portray Bruno as an outward homosexual. To that end, he had to very subtly hint at Bruno's sexuality. Bruno's appearance was changed from the novel from an alcoholic slob to a dapper mama's boy. Bruno homosexuality is primarily hinted at when Guy and Bruno have a dinner party. After Guy tells Bruno to stop stalking him, Bruno promptly tells Guy that he likes him, which is promptly returned with a punch in the face. It's also implied in the film that the fact that Bruno likes Guy is the main reason he enters into a murder pact with him.