The Boogeyman

“I can’t go to a priest because I’m not Catholic. I can’t go to a lawyer because I haven’t done anything to consult a lawyer about. All I did was kill my kids. One at a time. Killed them all.”

Even within the first few paragraphs, Lester appears unreliable as a source of information in this story. He claims that he didn’t do anything to consult a lawyer about, but in the same breath, he admits to killing his children one at a time. The reference to confessing to a priest hints at his guilt.

“‘I’d go to jail,’ Billings said immediately. ‘For life. And you can see into all the rooms in a jail. All the rooms.’ He smiled at nothing.”

This quote serves as one of Dr. Harper’s third-person insights about Lester. He notes that his patient is smiling at nothing, suggesting a disturbed state of mind. Lester’s fear of the Boogeyman is emphasized by his wish to go to jail, as the monster would have nowhere to hide there. This impulse may also illustrate a subconscious desire to be punished for his actions.

“‘I married Rita in 1965—I was twenty-one and she was eighteen. She was pregnant. That was Denny.’ His lips twisted in a rubbery, frightening grin that was gone in a wink. ‘I had to leave college and get a job, but I didn’t mind. I loved both of them. We were very happy.’”

This is the first mention of the “rubbery, frightening grin” that Dr. Harper notices on Lester’s face several times throughout the text. This sinister response suggests Lester was not as “happy” with his family life as he claims. The passage illustrates his monstrosity in comparison to that of the Boogeyman.