4. Dexter explains that "Rita was merely my ______, a silly kid's costume I wore on weekends to hide the fact that I was the kind of person who did the things that this other interesting fellow was now doing and I wasn't."

5. Dexter realizes that ______ likes him.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Rita. Who is she to Dexter? How is she the perfect girlfriend for Dexter?

2. What is cell crystallization? How is it relevant to the murder victims?

3. What is Detective LaGuerta's hypothesis as to why the Tamiami Trail Killer did not finish cutting his victim? What does Dexter find wrong with her hypothesis?

4. Compare and contrast Dexter and Deborah Morgan. Use specific details from the text to support your answer.

5. Who says, "I am a very neat monster"? What is this character referring to?

6. Who is Detective LaGuerta? Do the other characters in the novel respect Detective LaGuerta? What is her relationship with Dexter like?

7. Who makes an arrest in the Tamiami Trail Killer case? Why does this person think they have the right suspect?

8. For what reason does Dexter say he does his job? Does he do it to catch the bad guy?

9. Describe Dexter's dream in Chapter 7. What literary device is the author using through this dream?

10. Why are Dexter's co-workers surprised to see him at the crime scene in the beginning of the novel? What is Dexter's reaction to this news? Explain.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose a character from the novel, other than Dexter, whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.