Chapter 37: Naomi — Chapter Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

⚠️ This page contains major plot details from Society of Lies, including events that occur four months before the central mystery. If you haven't finished the book, you may want to read this chapter first before continuing.

Summary

The chapter opens in January 2023, four months before Naomi's death. Naomi and Liam discover Zee drunk and collapsed on a sidewalk, her heels scattered beside her. Naomi calls an Uber while Liam arrives on his motorcycle. When the car arrives, the driver refuses to take Zee because she is too intoxicated. Liam tries to negotiate, even offering a hundred-dollar bill, but the driver remains firm and eventually drives off, the door knocking Naomi and Liam to the ground.

At that moment, Professor Matthew DuPont and his fiancée Sara exit a nearby building. Zee stumbles into them, grabbing Sara's arm for balance. Sara recoils in panic, and DuPont forcefully pulls Zee away. Naomi screams at him to stop.

Two white police officers arrive, hands on their guns, and question the group. DuPont tells them everything is fine and that they were leaving an event, then walks away with Sara, leaving his students behind. The officers turn their attention to Zee and Naomi. When Naomi says they are Princeton students, the officer mocks her pronunciation of the word and becomes more aggressive. Naomi tries to keep her voice steady and avoid eye contact, fearing what might happen next.

The situation is defused only when the officer's radio reports armed suspects nearby, and the police leave. After they're gone, Liam and Naomi argue. Liam tells Naomi she was asking for trouble by talking back and that the police were just doing their jobs. Naomi is furious at his complacency and at DuPont's abandonment.

The next morning, Naomi finds a bouquet of peonies—her favorite flower—with a card from someone signing as 'M' apologizing for the previous night. She realizes it is from Matthew DuPont, who did nothing to help them. In anger, she throws the flowers away.

Key Events

Naomi and Liam find Zee drunk on a sidewalk and try to get her home.
The Uber driver refuses to take Zee because she is too intoxicated.
Professor DuPont and Sara exit a building; Zee stumbles into them.
DuPont forcefully pulls Zee away from Sara.
Police arrive and question the group.
DuPont walks away, leaving his students with the police.
The officer mocks Naomi's mention of Princeton.
A radio call about armed suspects causes the police to leave.
Liam and Naomi argue about how they handled the situation.
Naomi receives peonies with an apology card from 'M' (DuPont).
Naomi throws the flowers away in anger.

Character Development

Naomi: This chapter reveals Naomi's deep awareness of racial dynamics and police violence. Her internal monologue shows her fear—imagining handcuffs, the officer's gun—and her careful strategy of keeping her voice calm and neutral. She is fiercely protective of Zee, physically holding onto her. Her anger at Liam and DuPont shows her unwillingness to accept complacency from those around her.

Liam: Liam's attempts to de-escalate—speaking Spanish to the driver, offering money, telling Naomi to cooperate—are seen by Naomi as complicity. His comment that the police were just doing their jobs reveals a fundamental disconnect between his experience and Naomi's.

Matthew DuPont: This chapter is a key reveal of DuPont's character. He brushes off his suit, tells the police everything is fine, and walks away, leaving his students in a dangerous situation. His later apology via flowers is revealed as manipulative—he apologizes for the night but did nothing to help.

Zee: Vulnerable and intoxicated, Zee is largely passive in this scene, unable to advocate for herself. Her state makes her dependent on Naomi and Liam.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Racial profiling and police intimidation: The chapter is built around the threat of police violence. The officers' hands on their guns, the mockery of Princeton, and Naomi's fear of handcuffs all point to the systemic danger she faces.

Authority figure complicity: DuPont's decision to walk away—despite being a professor and an adult who could have intervened—is a betrayal of trust. He had the power to defuse the situation but chose not to.

Manipulative apology: The peonies and card from 'M' represent a hollow gesture. DuPont apologizes for the night but did nothing to help, making the apology feel like an attempt to control the narrative rather than take responsibility.

Class and privilege dynamics: The Uber driver's refusal, Liam's attempt to bribe him with a hundred dollars, and the officer's mockery of Princeton all highlight class tensions.

Fear of violence: Naomi's internal monologue is filled with imagined violence—being shoved against the car, handcuffed, the gun. This fear is a constant undercurrent.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is crucial for several reasons. It establishes the timeline—four months before Naomi's death—and provides essential context for understanding her state of mind. It reveals DuPont's character as someone who abandons his students in a crisis, which is significant given his later role in the story. The chapter also deepens our understanding of Naomi's perspective on race, class, and authority, which informs her actions throughout the novel. The argument between Naomi and Liam highlights a fracture in their relationship that may have lasting consequences. Finally, the manipulative apology from DuPont sets up a pattern of behavior that likely continues throughout the story.

Study Questions

1. Why does Naomi react so strongly to Liam's comment that the police were just doing their jobs?

Naomi's reaction stems from her lived experience of racial profiling. She knows that the police's job is not neutral—it is shaped by bias and can be deadly. The officer's mockery of Princeton and his aggressive posture confirm her fears. Liam's comment dismisses her fear and suggests she was at fault for talking back, which Naomi sees as a fundamental misunderstanding of the power dynamics at play.

2. What does DuPont's decision to walk away reveal about his character?

DuPont's choice to leave his students with the police—despite being in a position of authority—reveals his self-interest and lack of genuine care for his students. He had the power to intervene and tell the police everything was fine, but he chose to protect himself and Sara instead. His later apology via flowers is revealed as hollow, since he did nothing to help in the moment.

3. How does the chapter use the setting (January 2023, four months before Naomi's death) to create dramatic irony?

The timeline creates dramatic irony because the reader knows Naomi will die four months later. This chapter shows her alive, frightened, and angry—fighting for her safety and her friend's safety. The knowledge of her impending death makes every moment of fear and every act of courage more poignant, and it raises questions about what happens in those four months that leads to her death.