Keith and Stephen´s relationship in chapter 6

In chapter 6, we notice Stephen gets a new awareness of the unfairness of the criticism and contempt he suffers from Keith.

 At the beginning of the chapter, we are reminded of all the secrets  Stephen is hiding from Keith : the fact that his mother told him to stop spying on her or that Barbara Berrill visited their hideout.  But, in spite of this, we see that Stephen remains completely faithful to his friend, and is determined to please him. He bravely goes out in the middle of the night to look for a piece of evidence that may prove his friend's hypothesis. Stephen explains he does this just to prove his allegiance and his value to his friend.: “One single heroic deed to lay at Keith´s feet in the morning” Moreover, when his parents question him about his night excursion to the other side of the tunnel, the only questions he answers are those which involve protecting his friend.

 Even though his whole excursion is quite a heroic feat,  Stephen realises that Keith doesn't consider it so because he hasn´t been the protagonist: “My great exploit hasn't pleased or impressed him. I should have guessed. He's the one who's the hero of our projects, not me”. We feel sorry for Stephen when we realise Keith focuses just on  Stephen's mistakes and does not value his achievement.  Stephen once more shows his low self-esteem and how influenced he is by his friend's words when he forgets how brave he was and gets convinced he has done everything wrong. He doesn't even dare tell him the whole truth: “I haven’t told him I could have turned round and seen the man in the moonlight.”

However, once they discover that the box has disappeared, Keith realises that the man has seen Stephen and that Stephen has missed the chance to see the man because he was scared. Keith cruelly mocks Stephen for this and compares him to a baby. Stephen realises it is unfair but instead of rebelling or defending himself, he just feels like crying: “ I feel the choking obstruction growing in my throat, then the shameful tears beginning to obstruct my vision. It’s the sheer unfairness of his accusation that undermines me, his grotesque concentration on my one moment of weakness after I´d demonstrated so much courage, his cruel rejection of the hard won tribute I’d laid at his feet. “ Stephen feels terribly humiliated at this point. That is why when they hear Keith's mother is crossing the tunnel, and Stephen realises that Keith is as scared as himself, he feels “triumphant vindication”. This phrase seems to suggest that for the first time Stephen feels something negative for his friend Keith and that he is starting to be aware of Keith´s oppression.

A moment later, when both of them start running in opposite directions- Keith to the Barns and Stephen, home- Stephen seems to realise that there is no leader without anybody to be led, and that his friend needs him more than he has imagined: “He won’t go without me. And with a flash of pathetic gratitude I realise  that he needs me to accompany him. Without me, there is no game. Without me there’s nobody to be braver than.”  He feels “pathetic gratitude” because it is really humiliating to be thankful for being needed just to be oppressed, mocked and denied.

 Stephen's new awareness of his shameful role in his relationship with Keith paves the way for the violence he will exert on the poor “German tramp” in the last section of the chapter. Stephen is evidently tired of being the underdog, so when he finds somebody who is lower in the social hierarchy than himself, i.e. “a poor derelict taking refuge under a sheet of corrugated iron in a stinking elder bush, without even a dog to speak up for him”, he reproduces the same oppressive pattern that he has been a victim of. He starts hitting the piece of corrugated iron under which the “German tramp” lives in order to frighten the man. He enjoys having the power he is usually denied. He enjoys being feared for once, as the italics in the following quote prove: “ He is scared. Scared of Keith, scared of me. He’s that low in the table of human precedence.” Having found somebody who is below him  gives him a chance to become the leader: “I´m taking the lead for once. I’m showing Keith that  he’s not the only one who can think of plans and projects.” However, we see how in his leadership he imitates the patterns of oppression he usually suffers. He is leading the actions that cause even more suffering to an already underprivileged man.

In conclusion, this chapter seems to mark a change in Keith and Stephen´s relationship. Stephen becomes aware not only of how Keith criticises him for the same fear he himself feels, but also of how much Keith depends on Stephen to continue in his position of leadership. Without Stephen, Keith is nobody. This new awareness of his role in the relationship with Keith makes Stephen take the lead for once but just to reproduce the oppression he usually suffers onto somebody who is even less privileged than himself.