Montana gives the characters a false sense of freedom. The wide open plains of Mercer County go straight to the heads of the Hayden family. The men somehow feel like have authority and power entitled to them to do whatever they want without facing any consequences. In part two, Julian and Wes debate about Frank, “Is this why I gave you that goddamn? So you could arrest your own brother?” “Don’t try to tell me the law. Don’t.” (113) The Hayden men especially Frank and Julian believe that the law does not apply to them. Julian thinks that Frank the war hero could not possibly have committed a serious crime, even if he did Julian thinks that Wes should overlook it because Frank shares the same blood as him and the victim has Indian blood. At the end of section one, Gail tells Wes about her suspicions, “Why are you telling me this” … “I wish,” my father said, “I wish you wouldn’t have told the sheriff.” (37) Wesley does not want to have to accuse his brother of raping a girl, much less multiple girls.…show more content… In the Epilogue, David exposes the measures taken to cover up Frank’s death and the crimes surrounding it, “What bribes were offered, what deals were struck to secure Mr. Undset’s silence, I never knew.” (160) “Similarly, it was decided not to reveal any of Uncle Frank’s crimes.” (160) The Hayden pride and egocentricity still exists in the fact that they do not feel like they need to give closure to any of the families affected by Fran Hayden’s actions. At least Julian still maintains the mindset that the law does not apply to his family. The illusion of absolute freedom from Montana affects the characters to the point of where they become self-absorbed in their own
