Finally, the big reveal arrives, and the novel’s dark side begins to show itself. As it turns out, the rumors Richard heard about his friends being devil worshippers wasn’t too far off the mark. If anything, their activities are even more extreme than Richard could have imagined. From here on out, a prominent theme in the novel is the human capacity for violence. Despite their unassuming nature and privileged upbrings, the Greek students commit a horrific act of violence. Not only that, but the reader already knows that they will eventually commit
another terrible act of violence, this time with Richard’s help. This moment in the novel marks the beginning of Richard’s transition from a more or less average college student to someone capable of murder.