Unmissing

The life insurance policies symbolize the commodification of human life and the greed underpinning the Colettos’ relationship. The discovery of these documents is the novel’s turning point, the premeditated financial scheme behind Luca’s actions. The policy declaration states, “$2 million for twenty years” (175). This concrete detail shatters any lingering illusions about Luca’s grief or remorse, recasting him as not only a sexual predator, but also a conniver who profited from her supposed death.

The subsequent discovery of policies on Merritt and Elsie exposes this as a pattern of behavior for Luca, suggesting that even his new family is an asset to be liquidated. Lydia’s policy is evidence of Merritt’s plan and her seeming control over Luca, but the other policies reveal that he was never under Merritt’s control.

After killing Luca, Merritt reveals that she secretly took out a life insurance policy on him, indicating that she, too, planned to murder her spouse for a payout. The key difference is that she does not want to kill Elsie while Luca does. This doesn’t make Merritt less greedy or wrong, but it reveals that, as a mother, her cruelty has limits.