Little Stranger

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content, physical abuse, emotional abuse, ableism, and rape.

“Remember when me and Daddy rescued you from that evil place? We rescued him too!”

Jennifer’s framing of having “rescued” her children by adopting them illustrates an example of “savior complex,” an attitude among self-aggrandizing adoptive parents who brag about their benevolence in “saving” children. This comment from Jennifer foreshadows that her motives for adopting are rooted in personal and social gain, not because she wishes to be a caring mother.

“We’ll ensure the chefs, maids, and security guards know how to sign. Malachi will be comfortable in our home. He’s one of us now.”

Jennifer’s reference to the numerous staff members that work for the Vizes alludes to the family’s extreme wealth. This wealth highlights the absurdity of Jennifer’s social climbing, as her family already has abundant money and influence. Her insistence that Malachi is “one of [the family]” fades, however, when Malachi does not behave according to Jennifer’s ideas of what is the right way to represent the Vize family. These early representations of the Vize family establish one of the narrative’s main thematic questions: What Makes a “Real” Family?

“Even though I’m scared of my dad, I love him.”

Olivia’s connection between love and fear characterizes several of her relationships, most notably her sexual connection with Malachi. Her fear of her father both foreshadows Jamieson’s abuse, which he performs against Malachi more than Olivia, and presents situational irony about Olivia’s increasingly close relationship with Jamieson as she grows up.