Tension in Dick and Perry's Relationship

Throughout section 3, we begin to see much tension and many more flaws in Dick and Perry's relationship. The small pieces of underlying tension from before, (such as when they are in the diner and Perry questions Dick’s motives and if he actually cares about him) come to the surface in section 3 of In Cold Blood. As they are traveling, Dick thinks of his intentions to rid himself of perry, thinking, “Goodbye, Perry. Dick was sick of him –his harmonica, his aches and ills, his superstitions, the weepy, womanly eyes, the nagging, whispering voice. Suspicious, slif-riteous, spiteful, he was like a wife that must be got rid of. And there was but on way to di it: Say nothing – just go” (215). This shows Dicks annoyance for Perry and what little value he places on their rocky friendship. The two boys were never really friends, but just companions using eachother for an alterior purpose. Both of these are expressed earlier in the book; Perry’s, to get to Kansas to visit Willie Jay, and Dick’s, he needed a killer to do his dirty work in the search for the Clutter safe. When they are in Florida for Chirstmas and on the beach, Perry expresses his first outward, obvious thoughts on his dislike for Dick. “He realized Dick’s purpose at once, and despised him for it; he had “no respect for people who couldn’t control themselves” (202). In this passage, Perry begins to reveal some of his true thoughts for his companion. When Dick is interviewed by the Kansas cops, he later thinks through his previous actions. At this point, we see no loyalty from Dick to Perry when he says, “Floyd wasn’t half as dangerous as Perry. Perry, if he lost his nerve and let fly, could put them both in the Corner. And suddenly he saw the truch: It was Perry he ought to have silenced. On a mountain road in Mexico. Or while walking across the Mojave. Why had it never occurred to him until now? For now, now was much too late” (228). This shows no allegiance to Perry whatsoever. But Dick cannot be the only one at fault for this, for later on, Perry too questions the same thing. When in the police car re-telling the night of the murder, he informs Dewey, “Right there, in those few seconds before we ran out to the car and drove away, that’s when I decided I’d better shoot Dick. He’s said over and over, he’d drummed it into me: No witnesses. And I thought, he’s a witness. I don’t know what stopped me” (245). This portrays the same message that Dick’s does. That neither of the boys have any loyalty or trust for one another. However, as obviously shown, neither of them kill the other, (although they do consider it) and that raises a new question… why not?