Danger of Inaction

Penny examines the outcomes of inaction through the characters of Gilbert, Haniya, and Colette. Though Gilbert knew that Cameron was a psychiatrist who tortured patients, Gilbert did not speak out about it. In Haniya’s case, if she had chosen not to kill the children guarding the camp, it could have cost her life as well as the lives of the women she was trying to save. Colette and Gilbert’s stories demonstrate that inaction can be seen as support, even if it is not meant that way.

Gilbert demonstrates the danger of inaction by describing the impact both on his life and the lives of others by not speaking up about what Cameron was doing. Once Gilbert is confronted with the letter, he tells Armand that he was aware of the way Cameron was torturing his patients. Gilbert helped Cameron by not telling...