#dsmp prison arc
You know, the more I think about it
The more Ironic c!Sam’s speech happens to be.
He wanted to have the prisoners eat steak, see the sun, he thought it was Important that even if they were trapped they’d get humane treatment. These were the desired changes he wanted. While Dream wanted potatoes, no sun, etc. the exact opposite. He would’ve implemented these things too.
Except he didn’t. Because he didn’t get the chance.
Instead, he was the one who ended up in prison. Sam then had the power to implement the changes he wanted, to be the change he hoped to see in the world but, he didn’t. Instead he kept the same regulations that Dream wanted. No sun, potatoes, even the added implementation of physical torture.
Yes, Dream would’ve done these things but, we keep discussing the ‘would have this’ or ‘would have that’ and yet all of these are hypotheticals that never happened. We’re actively blaming Dream for a crime that wasn’t able to be carried out, didn’t get the chance to get carried out. But Sam? In the active present, they did all of these things and worse. All for the sake of personal karma.
You know, it could’ve been a chance to prove Dream wrong. To show kindness to someone who doesn’t deserve it in the slightest. To show how Sam’s ideas had actually been right. It was an opportunity to be the better person, to show someone who previously thought these concepts didn’t matter that they did firsthand.
They’ve already received ‘karma’ in the sense of having gotten a solid idea of what they /could’ve/ done to someone. For almost a year in fact. But, we persist on hammering in the same lesson: power over others is the only thing that matters. Kindness doesn’t matter because it doesn’t exist. This isn’t about justice anymore, it’s about personal vendetta and a childish notion of vengeance. Catharsis, not only for this character but for the audience.
The main point here being: Sam wanted to do all of these nice things. Yet, once they had the power to do it, they ended up doing the exact same thing as Dream had wanted to do. They are and have Implemented the same punishments, the same limitations, and worse.
They’re not the better person here, they’re just the same person.
That’s a throwback and a frighteningly good point.
