Liliana Pavel: Resilience and Quiet Defiance in I Must Betray You
Overview
Liliana Pavel is a private, observant teenager in Ruta Sepetys’ historical novel I Must Betray You. She lives in the same Bucharest housing block as protagonist Cristian Florescu and first appears as the “quiet girl” he secretly admires. Despite her reserved exterior, Liliana possesses sharp intelligence, a dry sense of humor, and deep emotional strength. Her story arc moves from a shy classmate to a defiant survivor who endures arrest and torture during the 1989 Romanian Revolution without breaking. She becomes a symbol of trust and love in a society poisoned by surveillance and fear.
Plot Role
Liliana serves as Cristian’s primary emotional anchor. Her presence motivates him to seek moments of normalcy and beauty—sharing an illegal Coca‑Cola, attending a secret video night, exchanging handwritten notes. She is also an unwitting catalyst for Cristian’s moral crisis: when she discovers his role as an informer for the Securitate, her accusation forces him to confront his guilt. Later, when both are arrested during the uprising, Liliana’s courage helps him survive the horrors of Jilava prison. Her character represents the personal stakes of political oppression: the regime attacks not only bodies but also relationships and trust.
Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions
Liliana is motivated by a desire for genuine connection in a world where everyone is suspect. She initiates conversation with Cristian after years of silence, breaking through the isolation that communism enforces. Her gift of gum when they were younger—and her forgiveness after Cristian dismissed it—shows her willingness to extend trust despite past hurt.
She is also fiercely protective. When her father is questioned by the Securitate, Liliana confronts Cristian, believing he informed on her family. Her anger is not blind; she had hoped he was different. Later, in prison, she insists on staying with Cristian, instructs children to lie to guards, and publicly declares their names so families can be contacted. These actions reveal a young woman who turns fear into defiance.
Liliana’s sense of humor and curiosity appear in small moments: she notices the dubbed swear words in Die Hard, she laughs at dark jokes, and she asks whether American movies are real. These traits humanize her and highlight the hunger for truth and freedom that many Romanian teenagers felt.
Chronological Arc
Early Encounters (Chapters 5–6): Liliana first speaks to Cristian as they walk home in the dark. She misses the trees and birds that Ceaușescu’s urban destruction has erased, and she shares a forbidden Coca‑Cola given by her father. Their bond forms through shared observation of the city’s decay.
Video Night and Growing Trust (Chapters 9–12): Liliana agrees to attend a secret video night with Cristian. She absorbs the details of the foreign film, noting the freedom of choice that characters enjoy. Their intimacy deepens, though Cristian’s informant role remains hidden.
Discovery and Confrontation (Chapter 33): After the Securitate questions her father, Liliana accuses Cristian of informing. She tells him, “I liked you so much. So much that now I hate you.” This moment fractures their relationship and forces Cristian to face the consequences of his betrayal.
Reunion in Crisis (Chapters 66–69): During the revolution, both are arrested. In the police van, Liliana describes being beaten and scalped, yet she comforts Cristian when he learns Luca was shot. At Jilava prison, she delivers a coded message from Mr. Van Dorn, confirming the notebook was received. She kisses Cristian tenderly before they are forced to kiss Ceaușescu’s portrait—a small act of private love in a public humiliation.
Survival and Aftermath: Liliana survives the regime’s brutality. By the novel’s end, she remains with Cristian, having endured torture without betraying her values or their relationship.
Relationships
Cristian Florescu: Their relationship is the emotional core of the novel. Cristian’s long-standing crush becomes a deep, tested partnership. Liliana’s trust is shattered when she learns of his informing, but her ability to forgive—after he proves his loyalty by hiding the notebook—shows growth for both characters. They sustain each other in prison, and Liliana’s final message confirms that she knows his true self.
Alex Pavel (Brother): Alex is protective and initially hostile toward Cristian. He intercepts Cristian’s attempts to see Liliana and threatens violence. Yet Liliana stands up to her brother, insisting that Cristian is different. This dynamic shows her independence within her family.
Family (Father): Her father works at a grocery supply store, a coveted job in a starving city. The Securitate questions him about bones he brought home for stray dogs, which reveals the family’s small acts of kindness. Liliana’s loyalty to her father is fierce; she cannot bear the thought that Cristian might have endangered him.
Cici and Others: Liliana interacts briefly with Cristian’s sister, Cici, who delivers a message that helps confirm the notebook’s safe receipt. She also gathers intelligence; an informer report notes that she eavesdropped on Cristian and Luca’s argument, showing her own survival instincts.
Key Decisions and Consequences
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Choosing to Approach Cristian: By walking with him and sharing the Coke, Liliana breaks the rule of emotional isolation. This decision leads to a deep bond but also puts her family at risk when the Securitate notices.
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Accusing Cristian: When she believes he informed, she confronts him publicly. The consequence is a temporary break, but it also forces Cristian to reckon with his guilt and later prove himself.
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Staying with Cristian in Prison: Despite the danger, she declares that they should stay together. This choice gives them emotional strength and leads to the tender kiss before the forced portrait scene.
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Delivering the Secret Message: At Jilava, she whispers the phrase from Cici, confirming that Van Dorn received the notebook. This act ties directly to the novel’s central act of resistance—smuggling the truth to the West.
Theme and Symbol Connections
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Surveillance and Paranoia: Liliana’s caution when sharing the Coke and her family’s fear after the Securitate visit reflect the constant watch. Her own eavesdropping on Cristian and Luca (revealed in the informer report) shows how even the sympathetic are forced to become watchers.
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Betrayal and Loyalty: Liliana is both betrayed (by Cristian’s informing) and fiercely loyal (to her father, her brother, and ultimately Cristian). Her arc explores whether trust can survive under tyranny.
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Resistance and Defiance: Her refusal to kiss the portrait properly, her instruction to children to lie, and her public declaration of names are small but potent acts of defiance. She represents the quiet resistance of ordinary citizens.
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Freedom vs. Oppression: Liliana’s wonder at the freedom in American movies mirrors the novel’s contrast between Romanian scarcity and Western abundance. Her survival is a victory for personal freedom over state control.
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Family Loyalty Under Tyranny: She defends her father against accusations and protects her brother’s reputation. The bond with Cristian becomes a surrogate family unit in prison.
Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers
1. Why does Liliana initially suspect Cristian of being an informant?
When the Securitate questions her father about the dog bones and the Coca‑Cola, Liliana realizes that someone must have reported their private moments. Cristian was the only other person present, and she knows he was under pressure from the regime. Her accusation stems from the logic of a society where mistrust is a survival tool.
2. How does Liliana show courage in prison?
Despite being beaten and scalped, Liliana maintains her composure. She whispers the coded message from Cici, instructs children to lie to guards, and asks fellow prisoners to contact families. She also steels herself to kiss the portrait without actually touching her lips to it, a subtle act of defiance.
3. What does the Coca‑Cola scene tell us about her character?
Sharing the forbidden drink is an act of trust and normalcy. It reveals her desire for simple pleasures and her willingness to break the rules for genuine connection. The scene also foreshadows the danger that such small freedoms bring.
4. How does Liliana’s relationship with Cristian change over the course of the story?
It moves from mutual shyness and admiration, through a period of anger and mistrust after the accusation, to a hardened partnership in prison. By the end, they have endured brutality together and reaffirmed their bond. Liliana’s final line—“Tell them that you saw us together and we were alive”—cements their unity.
5. What does Liliana represent in the novel’s larger themes?
She embodies the possibility of trust in a system designed to destroy it. Her survival shows that love and loyalty can persist even under torture. She also represents the ordinary citizens whose quiet defiance helped bring down the regime.