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Chapter 29
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Dry, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Human Cost of Climate Change
Justice
Urban vs. Rural
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
In his room, Falk spreads out his notes to review them. He calls Sergeant Raco and tells him that he thinks Deacon used to abuse Ellie. Falk wonders if Deacon killed Luke and his family, but Raco cautions that Falk’s own hatred of Deacon might be affecting his judgment. Falk goes to sleep for the night, but he soon gets a call from McMurdo that wakes him up.
Falk’s anger toward Deacon shows how the case has increasingly become personal for him. While Raco himself has his own personal investment in the case, he reminds Falk that it’s important to seek out the truth—even if it doesn’t line up with what Falk wants or expects.
Themes
Falk gets dressed and goes down to find his car covered in feces, with the words “SKIN YOU” again written on it. McMurdo saw it when he was bringing out the recycling. Several files about Ellie have been stuffed into the car.
Despite Raco’s advice for Falk not to take the case personally, that advice becomes difficult to follow when Falk finds himself the target of harassment due to his involvement in the case.
Themes
Falk goes to the police station, where Sergeant Raco informs him that Deacon is accusing Falk of tampering with Ellie’s grave. Deacon and his lawyer arrive, and Raco warns Falk not to suggest that Deacon has any involvement in Ellie’s death, since there’s no evidence. Raco goes out alone to talk with Deacon and the lawyer, but the receptionist at the station shows Falk a place in the storeroom where he can eavesdrop from an air vent.
Deacon tries to manipulate the justice system to use it against Falk, showing once again how institutions of justice can fail to bring about true justice. Although Falk’s relationship with Raco has been perhaps his most solid one in Kiewarra so far, their disagreement over how to handle Deacon combined with Falk’s willingness to eavesdrop on Raco (suggesting a lack of trust) all give the impression that Falk might be on his way to ruining another relationship through his own distrust and paranoia.
Themes
Falk overhears Sergeant Raco informing the lawyer that Deacon lives next door to a triple homicide and is suspected of vandalizing a car. Deacon gets angry and ignores his lawyer’s advice to be quiet, volunteering to repeat his story of what he did on the day of the murders. Deacon surprises everyone by mentioning that he was on the phone when the murders happened and didn’t notice. Deacon didn’t mention the phone call in any previous testimony. He claims he was talking on his landline to a woman from the pharmacy during the second shot, which he knows because he remembers that she asked about the bang.
Falk learns from eavesdropping that, despite his disagreement with Raco earlier, in the end Raco still wants to try to protect Falk, hence why Raco tries to counter Deacon’s harassment charge against Falk by bringing up Deacon’s own likely involvement in vandalizing Falk’s car. The fact that Deacon brings up new information in his testimony seems to have a clear link to his dementia. Deacon’s new statement is potentially riskier, because there is an easy way to check if he was really on the phone with the pharmacy.
Themes
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