The theme of secrets, guilt, and lies and the weight they put on a person is central to the emotional and narrative arc of the story. The stark contrast between the picturesque setting of Camp Pine Lake and the harrowing events that unfold there is an example of this tension. Peaceful locations like trails and lakes are transformed into sites of anxiety and paranoia, mirroring Esme’s inner turmoil. The camp becomes a metaphor for the weight of repressed regrets and the lies that keep them buried. Esme, in particular, is shaped by the lie she’s upheld for 10 years alongside Kayla. Both pretend that there’s “nothing scary in the woods” (8), a lie that is now destroying Esme from the inside out. The fact that Esme later repeats this same reassurance to a frightened camper deepens the irony, showing how guilt perpetuates itself through repetition and denial. Her psychological stress is visible in physical symptoms, like losing her appetite before hikes, and emotional responses, like the way she’s haunted by memories of the fire and the screams that followed.

Unlike Kayla, who seems determined to forget what happened to Lillian, Esme can’t escape her guilt. She internalizes everything, saying, “Guilt doesn’t feel good on me. It’s a shame I can’t remember a time before it” (114). Her fixation with honesty stems from her upbringing, as her parents instilled in her a strict moral code that made lying shameful. This makes the ongoing cover-up even more psychologically damaging. Rebekah’s constant anxiety, which Esme initially attributes to bullying, begins to look more complex as Rebekah urges her to speak up, because she knows more than she lets on. Rebekah’s lies clearly eat at her the same way they do Esme, but the two never really come together because Rebekah is on Lillian’s side. Meanwhile, Esme repeatedly deflects suspicion during group discussions by suggesting alternative theories, including one that blames a disgruntled former staff member. She avoids implicating herself or Kayla, further straining her integrity and making her feel even more guilty, because she likes the people at camp, especially Olly. Her secrecy is also visible when she conceals the carved initials “LC” in her bunk, a moment that symbolizes how covering up truth corrodes trust even between friends.

This theme also manifests in Esme’s deteriorating trust in herself and others. She withholds important information from Kayla, such as the carved initials at her bunk, and begins snooping through Olly’s things. Although ashamed, she justifies her actions, asking herself, “Am I not a good person? Can one stupid decision really define you?” (219). The phrasing here shows how she frames her life around the single night of the fire, unable to disentangle her identity from her secret. This internal conflict continues even after Andy praises her and Olly as being integral to the camp, which Esme can’t fully accept because she still believes everything that’s happening is her fault. Olly turns out to have been present at the fire too and harbors his own guilt, proving how pervasive the consequences of a secret can be. In a turning point for her character, Esme finally chooses to be honest with everyone and confront Lillian: “Making that leap is scary. I like the people I’m here with, and I’m scared of how they’re going to see me and Kayla when they find out the truth” (303). Doing so begins to relieve the psychological burden she’s carried throughout the novel, but only moments before her friends are killed.