When you share your pencil with someone, you're trusting they won't return it eraser-less and ridden with chew marks. When you share a secret with someone, you're trusting they won't post about it on social media. When you share a dream, that's trust on a whole other level.
Unfortunately for the extractors in Inception, trust is hard to come by. Not only are they betrayed by one another but they're even betrayed by themselves when their subconsciouses take on a life of their own. If you've got some skeletons in the closet we suggest you clean them out before doing any dream sharing.
Questions about Betrayal
- What would have happened if Cobb had never incepted Mal? Would she still be showing up in his dreams to betray him?
- Is Cobb determined to trust Mal despite her betrayal?
- Is Cobb justified having kept the truth about dying when sedated from the team? Was this deception a necessary risk for his children, or is Cobb just plain selfish?
Chew on This
Inception is a movie about the futility of trust. Even with the best of intentions, our subconsciouses betray our true motives.
Betrayal is the antithesis of trust. Inception is a movie about how the lack of openness can lead to catastrophe, both in a dream world with Cobb, or in a relationship like the Fischers'.