The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Theme of Betrayal

Everyone's betrayed in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, depending on how you look at it, and it's all thanks to Frankie. While she betrays her friends, boyfriend, and even her father by infiltrating the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, it's not as if Frankie hasn't tasted her fair share of betrayal, either. After all, her boyfriend's lying to her face, and the Old Boys' club that is Alabaster keeps trying to squash her spirit at every turn.

Questions About Betrayal

  1. Did Frankie really mean to betray Matthew? Did she just not care?
  2. What do you think is a bigger betrayal in a relationship: the way Frankie lied to Matthew about what she was doing, or the way that Matthew underestimated his own girlfriend? What makes you say so?
  3. Do you think that Senior is mad at Frankie for what she did? Why or why not? 
  4. What do you make of Alpha's reaction to Frankie's betrayal? Why isn't he more upset about it, like Matthew?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Though Frankie betrays Matthew by lying to him about what she's doing (or rather, by omitting the truth), to do any differently would have been a betrayal to herself.

The only reason why Matthew wanted to be with Frankie was because he thought she was pretty and sweet, which ultimately means that he betrays her by rejecting her true self.