“Eye contact is what keeps us civilized.”

Joe’s obsessions are explored through his internal monologue. These private thoughts are hidden from scrutiny, and he can launch his imagination into terrible places. Eye contact is a form of observation in which a person’s behavior is controlled by their fear that they are being watched or observed. People like Joe feel bound by observation and feel the need to escape eye contact and public scrutiny to express themselves. Away from eye contact, away from public scrutiny, Joe is as unbound, violent, and “uncivilized” as he wants to be.

“She Instagrams methodically, clinically, as if she’s gathering evidence for defense, like her entire life is dedicated to proving that she has a life.”

Joe does not understand social media as others use it. One of Beck’s best friends, Lynn—to whom Instagram is a verb—uses social media in a methodical, clinical manner. She carefully constructs a public persona that differs from the real Lynn, which she keeps hidden behind her curated social media personality. Joe may not use social media, but he empathizes with this idea. He also keeps his real self hidden behind a carefully constructed mask.

“Did I mention that you’re lucky to have me?”

Joe’s internal monologues reveal his delusion. He is speaking to Beck, though she will never hear anything he says. His delusion is so intense that he has convinced himself that he is doing Beck a favor by his obsession.