How we cite our quotes: Chapter.Paragraph
Quote #4
I have a mistress. Now is the part where I tell you I have a mistress and you stop liking me. If you liked me to begin with. (19.2)
How did you feel when you got to this part of the book? We here at Shmoop let out a collective oh no he did not. It's pretty significant that Nick not only lies to his sister, Amy, and the cops, but to us as well. It's the moment that makes us, as he even states, begin to question his true motives—if he's lied about having a mistress, how can we possibly believe he hasn't lied about other things (like, say, murdering his wife)?
Quote #5
He pauses, and I know he is about to lie. The worst feeling: when you just have to wait and prepare yourself for the lie […] He begins his lie. I don't even listen. (20.39-40)
Ouch. You know your marriage is packed with dishonesty when you know your husband is lying before he even begins to do it. As messed up as she is, this is a point where it's easy to feel sorry for Amy for being married to a guy for whom lying and cheating is a way of life. But wait—this is from Amy's diary… so perhaps this is a lie in its own right.
Quote #6
I was speaking loudly, I realized, and I sounded almost angry, certainly righteous, but it was such a relief. I'd started with a lie—the cat box—and turned that into a surprising burst of pure truth, and I realized why criminals talked too much, because it feels so good to tell your story to a stranger. (23.101)
Did you know that lying literally stresses you out? The process of planning, telling, and keeping up a lie triggers the release of extra stress hormones, which over time can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, lowered immune system functions, and all kinds of good stuff. Eventually, some people reach a point where maintaining the lie becomes too much work and they emotionally explode. That's probably what's happening to Nick in this confrontation with the cops.