
Or perhaps Claire acted purely from spite, having already decided to leave Leonard but wanting to deny him a chance at happiness with Rachel. Why did Claire murder Rachel and go to the effort of making it look like a suicide when she ultimately left her husband anyway? Perhaps Claire deluded herself into believing it would all go back to normal after Rachel was gone (maybe she didn't even intend for the body to be found, with it being four weeks before Rachel's remains were discovered) only to realize she couldn't stomach staying with her cheating husband in a town where she and her daughter were constantly harassed (especially given Leonard continued to fixate on Rachel).It really doesn't help that at the time of Rachel's death she'd been having sex with Leonard for nine months, meaning she was possibly only 15 when the affair began (which would make it statutory rape). Many players interpret Leonard as having taken advantage of a lonely and troubled teenager and insists it was love to justify it to himself, while Rachel was likely starved for affection and approval from an adult.


Was Leonard and Rachel's relationship genuine love, or did he abuse her? Leonard insists it was the former, with Irving and eventually Nicole agreeing with this interpretation, but many players view it as abuse, pointing out that Rachel was not only young enough to be Leonard's daughter and barely old enough to consent, she was extremely vulnerable her father was excessively strict with high expectations, she was bullied at school, and she was seeking tutoring from Leonard due to her dyslexia and speech impediment, spending long hours alone with him.
