We Were Liars

There are chapters in this section that are devoted to different versions of a fairy tale about a king and his daughters. There is an obvious parallel to the Sinclair family, which has a patriarch king in Harris and three princesses in Carrie, Bess, and Penny (Cady's mother). In this first version, the king learns the value of true love. Externals such as words and possessions are not what are most important. Internal feelings such as love are far more important. These lessons clearly intersect with lessons Cady is learning as she deals with her family. She sees them fight over external things like property, and, in the process, they destroy their love for each other—what Cady calls the real family. The second version of the fairy tale in Chapter 20 drives home this point. This time, a dragon kills the three daughters, and Cady wonders if the king himself is responsible. It is important that Harris visits her and her mother in Chapter 19. This makes clear the parallel between the king in the fairy tales and the family patriarch.

It is worth noting at this point that the novel alludes to William Shakespeare's play King Lear, which was itself based on the kind of fairy tale Cady tells. In the play, a king demands expressions of love from his daughters in return for pieces of his kingdom. Cordelia refuses, and she resembles Cadence in more than just name. She, too, is a rebel who knows the true meaning of love. It is not pretense or some external show; rather, it is a more essential and important state of mind and heart.

Cady manifests many different kinds of love for others. She is a caring person, so when Taft, her young cousin, calls to voice his fears, she comforts him. What she does not realize is that he is afraid of Cuddledown house in part because it is indeed haunted.