Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Monster, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dehumanization and Racism
Lies and Self-Interest
Endemic Violence
Injustice
Summary
Analysis
In his notes, Steve records that O’Brien is angry today because Petrocelli is intentionally manipulating the jury, showing them the grisly photos of the crime scene again and then sending them home so they’ll stew on the photos all weekend. Steve thinks about the photos a lot too, and they scare him. He wonders what it was like for Mr. Nesbitt, lying there, knowing that he was dying. Steve wonders if there was a lot of pain. He thinks about how stupid it was that he once wanted to be tough like King, Bobo, and Osvaldo. In the detention center, while Steve is assigned to mop a hall with four other inmates, he realizes that all five of them must all look exactly the same, and the realization makes him want to throw up.
Petrocelli’s manipulation of the jury again suggests that she cares more about winning the case and tallying another victory for her career than she cares about offering King and Steve a fair trial. Steve’s pain and sadness at thinking of Mr. Nesbitt dying alone in the drugstore suggests that he has far more compassion and empathy than Bobo, King, or Osvaldo, and is not a naturally violent person. Lastly, Steve’s realization and horror that the five inmates must look identical suggests that his identity as an inmate seems to be wiping away his own personhood.
Themes
Back in the screenplay, four witnesses testify on the stand while Petrocelli questions them. One testifies that the gun that killed Mr. Nesbitt legally belonged to Nesbitt. Detective Williams describes his entrance onto the scene, how he saw the body and the gun on the floor and the cash missing from the till, how they drew the chalk outline around the body and handed it off to the medical examiners. Williams and Karyl eventually got a call from Zinzi in Riker’s Island, which led them to Bobo Evans.
The fact that it was Mr. Nesbitt’s gun that killed him suggests that his assailants were unarmed, since they would have likely used their own weapons instead, which further suggests that they did not have any intention of actually murdering Mr. Nesbitt. This establishes the murder as a violent accident rather than a premeditated act.
Themes
The medical examiner testifies that the bullet struck Mr. Nesbitt from his left side and tore through his lungs, causing heavy internal bleeding. As his lungs filled with bled, Nesbitt drowned in his own blood. Steve gasps, while King looks bored.
Steve’s horror, which suggests empathy, contrasts with King’s utter indifference to Mr. Nesbitt’s suffering. This suggests that Steve is nothing like the other men charged, even though Petrocelli wants the jury to see them as all the same.
Themes
