Dillon, as he appears in The Shudder, is a character who lingers on the edges of Sandra’s life, leaving behind traces of his presence like smoke in a closed room—subtle, pervasive, and hard to escape. His role in the story is both an enigma and a catalyst, shaping Sandra’s emotional world in ways she both resents and treasures.

From the beginning, Dillon is introduced as a figure of contradiction. He carries an air of melancholy and detachment, a man whose sharp wit and hardened demeanor mask deeper vulnerabilities. Sandra’s dynamic with him is fraught with tension—a blend of attraction, frustration, and mutual dependency. Their conversations are laced with irony and unspoken truths, often teetering on the edge of hostility yet somehow remaining tethered by an unnameable bond. Dillon’s insights into Sandra, sharp and sometimes cruel, seem to cut straight to the heart of her insecurities, leaving her both exposed and understood.

What makes Dillon compelling is his duality. On the surface, he is self-assured, even jaded, a man who moves through the world with the nonchalance of someone who has seen too much and cared too little. Yet glimpses of his deeper layers are revealed in fleeting moments—his confessions of emotional exhaustion, his admission of feeling hollow after moments of intimacy, and his inability to reconcile his yearning for connection with his instinct to push people away. These complexities make Dillon more than just a foil to Sandra; he is a mirror reflecting her fears, desires, and contradictions.

Their final encounter, however, casts Dillon in an entirely new light. In her unconscious state, Sandra confronts him—or, more accurately, the version of him that exists within her. Dillon becomes a projection of Sandra’s own buried self, embodying her suppressed fears, unresolved guilt, and the sacrifices she has made for her son. This encounter is a dialogue not between two people but between Sandra and the parts of herself she has long denied. Dillon’s words, though spoken by him, carry Sandra’s voice; his sharp observations echo her deepest doubts. As she faces him, she is truly confronting herself—her weaknesses, her resilience, and her capacity to endure for the sake of love.

In this reframing, Dillon ceases to be a separate entity and instead becomes an integral part of Sandra’s psyche. 

His reappearance is not about closure with him but about reconciliation within herself. It is through this internal reckoning that Sandra finds the strength to pull herself back to consciousness and save her child. Dillon is no longer the man she once knew; he is the specter of her own courage, the villain she must conquer, and the part of her that must survive.

Dillon’s presence in The Shudder transforms from a figure of external influence to a profound symbol of internal struggle. He represents the fragmented pieces of Sandra that she must confront and integrate to move forward. This reinterpretation deepens his role, making him not just a haunting memory but a vital part of Sandra’s journey toward self-realization.