Vivian’s Roulette and Protection

The Big Sleep

Vivian Regan moves between guarded family loyalty, gambling dependence, and a growing alliance with Marlowe.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The First Interrogation The First Interrogation from "The Big Sleep". The First Interrogation A defensive meeting Vivian Regan asks Philip Marlowe whether he has been hired to find Terence Regan.

The First Interrogation from "The Big Sleep". The First Interrogation A defensive meeting Vivian Regan asks Philip Marlowe whether he has been hired to find Terence Regan.

The First Interrogation A defensive meeting Vivian Regan asks Philip Marlowe whether he has been hired to find Terence Regan. She tests him while revealing little about her husband’s departure. A hidden anxiety Her anger and evasions suggest that the disappearance touches more than marital resentment. Marlowe refuses to tell her what the General said.

The Photographic Threat The Photographic Threat from "The Big Sleep". The Photographic Threat A plea for help Vivian brings Philip Marlowe Carmen Sternwood’s nude photograph and describes a demand for five thousand dollars.

The Photographic Threat from "The Big Sleep". The Photographic Threat A plea for help Vivian brings Philip Marlowe Carmen Sternwood’s nude photograph and describes a demand for five thousand dollars.

The Photographic Threat A plea for help Vivian brings Philip Marlowe Carmen Sternwood’s nude photograph and describes a demand for five thousand dollars. She fears a police scandal as much as public exposure. Family protection Marlowe recognizes that Vivian is trying to shield both her sister and her father. She agrees to raise the money while keeping the matter out of the authorities’ hands.

The Roulette Winnings The Roulette Winnings from "The Big Sleep". The Roulette Winnings Risk at the table At Eddie Mars’s Cypress Club, Vivian Regan bets aggressively and wins a remarkable sum.

The Roulette Winnings from "The Big Sleep". The Roulette Winnings Risk at the table At Eddie Mars’s Cypress Club, Vivian Regan bets aggressively and wins a remarkable sum.

The Roulette Winnings Risk at the table At Eddie Mars’s Cypress Club, Vivian Regan bets aggressively and wins a remarkable sum. Eddie covers her final wager without apparent concern. A staged freedom A masked man later tries to rob her in the fog. Marlowe intervenes, and Vivian’s composure suggests that the danger may be part of a larger arrangement.

A Failed Seduction A Failed Seduction from "The Big Sleep". A Failed Seduction Attraction and suspicion Vivian invites Philip Marlowe toward intimacy in his car. He kisses her, then asks what Eddie Mars has over her.

A Failed Seduction from "The Big Sleep". A Failed Seduction Attraction and suspicion Vivian invites Philip Marlowe toward intimacy in his car. He kisses her, then asks what Eddie Mars has over her.

A Failed Seduction Attraction and suspicion Vivian invites Philip Marlowe toward intimacy in his car. He kisses her, then asks what Eddie Mars has over her. The boundary restored Marlowe refuses to turn his father’s assignment into a personal affair. Vivian leaves angry, and their tentative trust becomes more cautious.

A Sister’s Promise A Sister’s Promise from "The Big Sleep". A Sister’s Promise The truth confronted Philip Marlowe tells Vivian that Carmen killed Terence Regan and that Vivian’s concealment has enabled further danger.

A Sister’s Promise from "The Big Sleep". A Sister’s Promise The truth confronted Philip Marlowe tells Vivian that Carmen killed Terence Regan and that Vivian’s concealment has enabled further danger.

A Sister’s Promise The truth confronted Philip Marlowe tells Vivian that Carmen killed Terence Regan and that Vivian’s concealment has enabled further danger. Vivian admits she sought Eddie Mars’s help to protect their father. A demanded choice Marlowe gives Vivian three days to take Carmen somewhere she can be watched and treated. Their relationship rests on a difficult promise rather than a solved mystery.

the first afternoon

the second morning

the evening after Brody’s death

later that night, near Del Rey

near the ending