Book readers, please tell me **SPOILERS***

Why did Olivia have a nervous breakdown?

Loved her character btw.

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We see her giving him like 2-3 HJ's and then going into bathroom for some time, we can hear water as she wash her hands but couldn't she use his semen she had on her hand in a way that gets her pregnant?

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As far as I could see, Marcus' attraction to Olivia was as fatal to him as his own indignation. His mother was right on that score.

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I just could not grasp the character of Olivia...her motivations, why she was so quick to do the sexual things she did for seemingly no reason, and why she was so emotionally fragile.

Even what she wanted from Marcus was unclear to me. Did she like him for a boyfriend? Was she only interested in fooling around with him? Was she messing with his head only?

Olivia said she wanted to make Marcus happy. She believed her sexual acts would do that. There were hints that she came from an unhappy home -- her father seemed cold, handing her money and leaving her outside her dorm without getting out of the car; her mother sounded like a socialite. Olivia probably didn't get much loving attention from them, which could be why she had emotional issues.

It was also an era of sexual repression, especially for women. Olivia had been expelled from another school, apparently after getting drunk and having some kind of upsetting incident. She was probably labeled a 'slut.' Even Marcus initially believes this. She couldn't take what happened and got ill (hence the suicide attempt).

Olivia viewed Marcus as different, someone who was serious and more sensitive than the others. She probably thought this made him more mature. I think Olivia felt good around him. I don't think she was 'messing' with him. I think she had truer feelings for him than he had for her.

And all the pieces matter (The Wire)

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