Within Mercy Among the Children, Diedre Whyne acts upon the reality principle, and therefore ego. As a social worker claiming to aid the Henderson family, she has the occupational façade of helping the less fortunate. Lyle references this about Diedre by stating that:
“[Diedre] had the type of face that as she got older, its traits of social cruelty become more pronounced; its traits hidden in our culture just under the surface like the effects of sin on the picture of Dorian Gray.” (Richards 216)
Diedre demonstrates her social cruelty within her seemingly ‘good’ actions. Her social cruelty occurs when she bullies Elly, or takes the Henderson children from their home. The textual allusion to The Picture of Dorian Gray allows the reader