The Malfoy Project

𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗬 (𝗖𝗛 𝟱𝟭 - 𝗫)

IMPORTANT NOTE: This may contain spoilers if you look at the chapters you haven't read yet.

Disclaimer: All religious quotes and references used are purely for literary purposes and do not reflect my own religious views and opinions.  

༻❁༺

51 - Everything, Everything

✼¹ '"The truth'." I snorted at the word. "You don't even know what that is." references the words of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who presided over Jesus' trial. In Chapter 18 of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of Christian Bible, Jesus says that He is the 'witness of the truth', to which Pilate retorts: "What is truth?"

Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?"
Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.
For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world,
that I should bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"
And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them,
"I find no fault in Him at all."

— John 18:38, New King James Version, the Bible

Pilate did not find Jesus guilty of any crime, and was extremely reluctant to sentence him to death despite the angry crowd vehemently calling him to do so. It is not clear if Pilate had said this in disapproval of the trial, calling it a mockery, or if he meant that the 'truth' is hard to define philosophically.

Ainsley [Jesus] has always campaigned for truthful and ethical publishing, and has been adamant about finding out what the Malfoy's secret is. On the other hand, Draco [Pilate] and — to a certain extent — his parents have been worrying about how Ainsley will react once their family secret is revealed.

These insecurities and his general cynicism lead him to use this against her in his argument. He chides her for being so naive and ignorant, so much as to have convinced herself he is innocent, and accuses her of writing the book to boost her own ego.

52 - Of Monsters and Men

✼¹ The title of this chapter is in reference to John Steinbeck's 1937 novella Of Mice And Men. It explores the themes of fear and loneliness, both of which often result in detrimental — and even fatal — acts of selfishness. For example, due to immense isolation and helplessness, a few of them turned to bullying and ridiculing those they deemed weaker.

Each of its characters is handicapped by a variety of intellectual, social, or economic circumstances. They projected these in different ways, setting off a chain of events that ultimately led to two deaths. 

In this chapter, Draco reveals that his loneliness is more deep-set than Ainsley had initially thought. He states that Ainsley subconsciously cannot bring herself to be with him because she is aware of how suicidal he actually is and that he doesn't love her enough to want to live, which is a consequence she would have to live with if they were to get together.