Character Relationship Map: Cobweb

Characters

• Carol (played by Lizzy Caplan) — protagonist

  Carol is Peter's emotionally distant and overbearing mother. She denies the voice and tapping he experiences, punishes him for speaking to his teacher, and helps confine his older sister in the walls....

• Mark (played by Antony Starr) — protagonist

  Mark is Peter's emotionally distant father and Carol's husband. He dismisses Peter's claims about the wall, intimidates Miss Devine, and helps imprison Peter in the basement. After Peter poisons the s...

• Miss Devine (played by Cleopatra Coleman) — supporting

  Miss Devine is Peter's substitute teacher and the adult who recognizes that his distress may be genuine. She investigates after seeing his drawing, confronts the danger at his home, and repeatedly tri...

• Peter (played by Woody Norman) — supporting

  Peter is a shy, bullied eight-year-old boy trapped between abusive family secrets and a voice inside his bedroom wall. Guided and manipulated by his older sister, he kills his parents, survives repeat...

• Brian (played by Luke Busey) — supporting

  Brian is a school bully who torments Peter and destroys his prize pumpkin. Acting on the voice's advice, Peter pushes him down the stairs, causing a broken leg and leading to Peter's expulsion. Later,...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Miss Devine → Peter (Professional Teacher) — Miss Devine recognizes Peter's distress in her professional role.

  Miss Devine is Peter's substitute teacher and notices his drawing of himself frightened in bed with the words 'Help me.'

• Mark → Peter (Family Father) — Mark is Peter's authoritarian father.

  Mark is identified as Peter's parent and lives with him and Carol. He helps enforce the household rules and intimidates Miss Devine when she checks on...

• Carol → Peter (Family Mother) — Carol is Peter's emotionally distant and controlling mother.

  Carol is identified as Peter's parent and lives with him and Mark. She disciplines Peter, locks him in the basement, and later tries to stop his attac...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Peter → Brian (Conflict Bullying Victim) — Brian victimizes Peter through public bullying and vandalism.

  Brian is described as a bully who destroys Peter's prize pumpkin at school.

• Mark → Miss Devine (Conflict Intimidator) — Mark actively prevents Miss Devine from helping Peter.

  When Miss Devine checks on Peter, Mark intimidates her and chases her away from the house.

• Carol → Miss Devine (Conflict Adversary) — Carol opposes Miss Devine's attempt to understand Peter's situation.

  Carol admonishes Peter for bringing his alleged delusions to Miss Devine, treating the teacher's concern as a threat to parental authority.

• Carol → Mark (Parental Alliance) — The two parents cooperate in controlling Peter and concealing the family's past.

  Carol and Mark jointly forbid Peter from going trick-or-treating, deny the tapping in the wall, and imprison Peter in the basement.

Story Analysis

A frightened child is manipulated by a hidden family secret until trust, violence, and survival collide inside his home.

Plot Progression

1. A Child Behind the Wall — Peter lives under strict parental control and is denied a Halloween outing. Tapping from inside his bedroom wall introduces a hidden and frightening presence.
2. Fear Becomes Violence — Peter confides indirectly in Miss Devine while his parents dismiss his experiences. Advice from the wall leads Peter to attack Brian and suffer harsher punishment.
3. Secrets Beneath the House — Locked in the basement, Peter discovers a covered pit and learns that his parents have hidden a terrible family secret. The buried skull confirms that the danger is real.
4. The False Rescue — Peter kills his parents after being convinced they intend to imprison him. Opening the hidden door releases the deformed sibling whose voice manipulated him.
5. Escape Into the Pit — The released threat kills Brian's revenge party and repeatedly captures Peter. Miss Devine helps Peter reverse the situation and confine the threat in the basement pit.