The Book of Bill

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of emotional and physical abuse.

The primary way in which Bill communicates to the reader, as well as to Stanford Pines, is through tempting them with knowledge and secrets—of the world and of history, at first, but also of himself. Bill understands the insatiable curiosity of the human mind, offering things such as the “meaning of life, how to cheat death, Pine Tree’s most embarrassing dreams, and your own interesting future” in exchange for a deal with him (14). Knowledge is power, something that Bill craves (and wants to take away from his victims and everyone around him), yet knowledge is also something Bill must continually pretend to have to keep the upper hand. The narrative of The Book of Bill reinforces that knowledge is important yet dangerous—when kept to oneself, at least. What makes Bill dangerous is not that he offers knowledge—it is that he insists the reader is the only person special and powerful enough to acquire it.

Bill puts the reader through a series of comical and unimportant tests to ensure they can withstand his “unholy knowledge,” but these are ultimately tests that ensure he can maintain a level of control and manipulation over the imaginary reader.