Symbols Game On Navessa Allen

The Prohibition-Era Tunnels Symbol in Game On: Hidden Depths of Deception

What Are the Prohibition-Era Tunnels?

In Navessa Allen’s Game On, the Prohibition-era tunnels are a network of abandoned underground passages beneath a Thai restaurant in the city. Originally constructed as a nineteenth-century bank basement, the tunnels were repurposed during the 1920s for bootlegging, liquor warehousing, and illegal transportation of guns, drugs, and people. Al Capone and his gangsters operated through them, and a major federal raid during Prohibition left behind bullet-riddled walls and decaying equipment. By the time Tyler Neumann scouts them in chapter 15, the tunnels are damp, moldy, claustrophobic, and reeking of decay—yet they hold immense potential as a hidden casino venue.

Where the Tunnels Appear in the Story

The tunnels recur at three key junctures:

  • Chapter 15 (Tyler’s POV): Tyler scouts the tunnels with urban explorers Dean and Aubrey, envisioning a Gatsby-themed gambling event. He notes the single point of entry, the narrow shaft, the cracked concrete floor, the algae blooming along seams, and the eerie “breathing” sounds. He imagines candles, soft lighting, jazz, and gaming tables.
  • Chapter 31 (Stella’s POV): Theo drags Stella into the tunnels after a police raid on the gambling party. She sees the same decay—wet walls, flood waterlines, garbage, dripping pipes—but now the tunnels are a site of terror. Theo pushes her through a grate into a narrower passage, gun aimed at her. The space becomes a labyrinthine trap.
  • Chapter 32 (Tyler’s POV): Tyler escorts Stella through the same tunnels after the raid collapses. He uses a hidden exit discovered by the urban explorers—a half-mile route beneath the city. Here the tunnels embody Tyler’s rage and his decision to abandon any pretense of civility.

How the Symbol’s Meaning Shifts

The tunnels begin as a canvas for control and spectacle. Tyler, the master gambler and revenge schemer, sees only opportunity: a secret space to host a million-dollar night, transformed into a lavish, illegal casino. “I could really lean into the Gatsby vibes here,” he thinks, planning to manipulate the wealthy elite by giving them a forbidden playground. The tunnels represent his ambition, his ability to see order in chaos, and his attraction to hidden, transgressive spaces.

When Stella enters the tunnels in chapter 31, the symbolic weight flips. The tunnels become a nightmare of betrayal and entrapment. Theo, who has lied about his name and intentions, forces her down dark, narrow passages. She feels the slime on the walls, sees the “orange glow of eyeballs” (rats), and believes a serial killer is waiting. The tunnels embody the moral descent Theo has dragged her into—a place where her choices have led to innocent people being arrested. The physical decay mirrors her own desperation and fear.

In chapter 32, the tunnels represent Tyler’s return to his true self—the ruthless, manipulative gambler he was before Stella softened him. As he forces her through the maze, he uses the gun (empty but intimidating) and unleashes a tirade about human selfishness. The tunnels here are a corridor of revelation: Tyler admits his real name is not what she thought, and Stella learns the depth of his vendetta against her father. The passageway becomes a symbolic descent into the truth of their mutual deception.

Character Connections Under the City

Tyler Neumann

Tyler’s relationship with the tunnels mirrors his relationship with secrets. He delights in finding hidden spaces and repurposing them for his schemes. The tunnels are a physical projection of his mind: layered, dangerous, and full of potential for exploitation. His scouting scene reveals his attention to detail—lighting, escape routes, and the symbolic link to Gatsby, a figure of reinvented identity and obsession. Later, when the raid forces him to flee, the tunnels become a crucible where his rage and his conflicted feelings for Stella collide. He uses the tunnels to reassert control, but also to confess his true motives.

Stella McCormick

For Stella, the tunnels are a space of vulnerability. She suffers from chronic gastritis, and the physical strain of running, falling, and crawling through muck triggers pain. The tunnels strip away her agency; she is pushed, threatened, and left with little choice but to obey. Yet even here, she shows grit—she plans to push Theo toward the imagined serial killer to escape. The tunnels force her to confront the consequences of her collaboration with Theo: “This was all my fault for helping Theo,” she thinks. The symbol underscores her journey from passive victim to reluctant participant in Tyler’s world.

Blake McCormick

Blake’s brief appearance in the tunnels (chapter 31) shows him fleeing from guards, using his Division I track background to escape. For him, the tunnels represent the danger Stella is in and his own powerlessness. He is the one who initially discovers the location (through a tip-off) and triggers the police raid. The tunnels link the McCormick siblings’ separate attempts to navigate the hidden underworld of the city.

Theo Strickland

Theo is the gatekeeper of the tunnels in chapter 31. He knows the secret grate, the second exit, and uses the space to intimidate Stella. His lie about his name—“Theo Strickland isn’t even my name”—is revealed in the tunnels, cementing their role as a place of unmasking. The tunnels amplify his menace: the gun, the dark, the fake identity. They are his natural habitat, where he can exploit the hidden geography just as he exploits people.

Theme Connections

  • Family Secrets and Betrayal: The tunnels are a metaphor for the concealed history of the city’s elite—the bootlegging, the gambling, the corruption that has been buried. Tyler’s revenge plot targets Richard Lawson, Stella’s father, whose own secrets are hinted at. The tunnels physically connect past and present crime.
  • Class Conflict: Tyler uses the tunnels to cater to the “spoiled children” of the wealthy. The hidden nature of the gambling party underscores the divide between public respectability and private vice. The tunnels are a leveller: inside, status is only as good as one’s chips.
  • Power Dynamics and BDSM: Tyler’s control over the tunnels—choosing the entrance, planning the route, dictating the lighting—mirrors his dominant role in his relationships. Later, the forced march with the gun echoes the brat play and punishment dynamics hinted at in the sex club scene (chapter 5).
  • Chronic Illness Representation: Stella’s gastritis flare is exacerbated by the physical ordeal of the tunnels. The damp, cold, and stress trigger pain, showing how her chronic condition intersects with the plot’s high-stakes environments.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. How does Tyler’s vision for the tunnels in chapter 15 compare to the actual experience of them in chapters 31–32?
    Answer: Tyler sees potential—candles, jazz, elegance—while the later chapters show the tunnels as grimy, dangerous, and terrifying. The contrast highlights the gap between Tyler’s controlled fantasy and the chaotic reality when his plan unravels. The same physical space can represent hope or horror depending on the character’s agency and state of mind.

  2. What does the presence of bullet holes and remains of Prohibition-era contraband suggest about the novel’s view of historical legacy?
    Answer: The bullet holes and rotting barrels show that the city’s criminal past is not completely erased—it lingers in the physical environment. The tunnels imply that the wealthy continue a tradition of hidden vice, only with updated forms (gambling instead of bootleg liquor). History repeats because the architecture makes secrecy convenient.

  3. In chapter 31, Stella thinks “nothing between us had ever been real” after Theo reveals his false name. How does the tunnel setting reinforce this revelation?
    Answer: The tunnel’s decaying, disorienting quality—the slime, the rats, the darkness—mirrors the collapse of Stella’s trust. She is literally lost in a web of deception. The narrow, confined space leaves no room for escape, just as Theo’s lie leaves no way to undo the past. The tunnel becomes a stage for the unmasking of false identities.

  4. Why does Tyler choose an abandoned ship for his first gambling night and the tunnels for his second? What does each location say about his strategy?
    Answer: The ship is isolated, mobile, and unexpected—perfect for a one-time event to target Blake. The tunnels are more permanent, with multiple exits and historical cachet. The ship reflects a short-term, high-risk gamble; the tunnels reflect a longer-term investment, allowing Tyler to repeat events and build a reputation. Both locations are hidden, aligning with Tyler’s belief that the most effective power operates in shadow.