Vocabulary in DNA

Something you can only afford — emotionally or morally — when things are going well; here, the idea that feeling guilty is a privilege the characters have no right to indulge given what they have done.

Carefully and coldly working out what is most useful to oneself, without being guided by feelings or conscience.

Having no sense of right or wrong at all; not simply choosing to do wrong but being completely indifferent to the difference between right and wrong.

To deliberately plant false evidence so that an innocent person appears guilty of a crime they did not commit.

The unique genetic material found in every person's cells, used here as physical evidence that can be planted to falsely identify someone as present at a crime scene.

A person whose job is to deliver mail; in this play, an ordinary, innocent man who is wrongly arrested because false evidence points to him.

The damaging consequences or after-effects that follow a bad event or decision, especially ones that spread and affect many people.

The ranking system within the group that determines who has power and who must obey; the unofficial order of authority among the teenagers.

Unstable and likely to collapse or go badly wrong at any moment; dependent on circumstances that could easily change.

To fall apart or break down gradually; used here to describe the group's relationships and shared plan coming undone.

Appears as a large, threatening presence that is about to cause serious trouble; the past act hangs over the characters menacingly.

To compete eagerly with others for something, such as power, attention, or control within the group.

Extremely serious and urgent, with very bad consequences likely if nothing is done; a desperate situation with no easy way out.

Building up slowly and quietly beneath the surface, like water just below boiling point; used here for tension that has been growing throughout the play.

Acting without thinking about or caring about the dangerous consequences of one's actions; dangerously impulsive.

Prescribed drugs taken to treat a mental or physical health condition; here it signals that a character has broken down psychologically as a result of guilt.

The act of making people believe something false; the whole cover-up the group maintains to hide what really happened to Adam.

Undamaged and still in one piece; here it means the group's lie has not been exposed or broken apart.

The period of time following a harmful or disastrous event, during which the consequences are still being felt.

Pulled back from social contact; quiet, isolated, and emotionally shut off from the people around you.

Torn between opposing feelings or values — for example, knowing something is wrong but also wanting to protect yourself — so that no clear decision feels possible.

Admitting to having done something wrong, especially to an authority; here, telling the truth about what happened to Adam instead of maintaining the cover story.

Impossible to connect with emotionally; so closed off that no one can get through to him, no matter what they say or do.

The whole purpose or essential reason behind something; used repeatedly in the play to assert that a situation or rule has a specific, non-negotiable logic.