Character: MARK, early 50s.
MARK: Oh, don't you dare look at me like that. You don't know the truth. None of you do. I am not a villain. Children need order. I give Edward rules. All she ever gives him is permission. She says yes to everything. Yes. It's the absolute worst thing a parent can say to a child. Yes, you can have more ice cream. Yes, you can flunk out of math if it's too hard. You can undermine your parents' authority, take advantage of other people, use them, treat them like objects. Go ahead, do whatever the hell you want. We support you. Yes. The whole world's like this now. Yes. (to HANK) You're like this. (to BUGGY) You're definitely like this. You're all like this. You're all just desperate to have somebody, anybody, stand up and be an adult and say, No, that's not okay. No, you're not allowed. Stop. But do you have any idea how hard that is to do? What it costs? Don't you think I'd love, absolutely love, to allow things? To permit... everything? Or God forbid to have somebody say yes to me once in a while. Yes! I would! But if nobody hangs on to that rope... people get hurt.
