Liar & Spy

Rules appear as a motif throughout the novel, often representing the status quo or the expected way to do things. One significant example of this is Bob English’s fascination with spelling reform. Bob appreciates that the theory challenges the idea that we should continue to do things the same way we’ve always done them, even if familiarity is the only reason to perpetuate the habit. Additionally, the Blue Team collectively breaks the rules of Capture the Flag when they ignore the Red Team’s flag and hide the blue flag so well that the other team never finds it. The “cool” kids—Dallas, Carter, and Mandy—are outraged that the Blue Team isn’t playing “by the rules,” because the rules typically give them the upper hand. Georges’s method for stopping Dallas and Carter’s bullying also involves subverting the rules—he and the Blue Team form their own set of rules, one that demands that they show no reaction to the bitter-tasting chemical. By following these rules and depriving Dallas of the opportunity to single Georges out, they beat Dallas’s attempts to bully him. This motif comes to its climax when Georges has the idea to subvert the taste test. He thinks: