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silent-axis · 2 days ago

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Some of my personal understanding of the relationship between Altmann and Muller

◆The content of this post is entirely my personal understanding, with a lot of imagination, so it may not be completely objective. And because I was in a hurry when writing this post without my laptop, the content mentioned in this post has not been compared with the game's English text, and there may be cases where the vocabulary used is different from that in the game. If you can accept it, the text is below :)

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At the end of the game, if the player chooses to help Altmann, Altmann will tell Frank on the phone, "I need your absolute loyalty." I wonder if she has asked Muller the same thing from the beginning.

If the player chooses to fire Muller at the end, he will say, "I am your superior!" On the one hand, this plot shows that he is a person with a strong sense of hierarchy. On the other hand, this makes me think that he may have a feeling that he has always been absolutely loyal (at least in his behavior) , working hard and has finally climbed to this position, become his boss's trusted subordinate. He may feel that his current status is what he deserves, and is trying his best to maintain his status.

But I don't think he will overstep his boundaries and seek to be above his boss. In his heart, he recognize Altmann as his boss, and follow her all the way.

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In addition to hating Huberts's personality and ideas, Muller's dislike for Huberts may be similar to Altmann's, thinking that Huberts will completely destroy everything he has worked hard to obtain at the moment, so it is normal for him to hate Huberts. He and Altmann are allies in dealing with the "threat" posed by Huberts. In the "battle" against Huberts, Muller needs the influence that comes with Altmann's status and power, and Altmann needs Muller to implement her ideas.

(In fact, I wonder what would happen if Huberts really keeps Muller in the ministry in the ending where Huberts wins. If the boss is someone he hates, will Muller choose to endure the humiliation and stay in the ministry, or will he secretly contact his former boss ^^)

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After Huberts wins, he will kick Altmann and Muller out of the ministry. I also find it interesting that Muller still choose to continue to follow Altmann at this time. Logically, they could have parted ways at this time, after all, the hierarchy has disappeared. This makes me think that Muller has been Altmann's subordinate for too long, and he may have gotten used to it. He may also recognize and be familiar with Altmann's ideas and the rules she established, and recognize her abilities. If they were in the same situation, he might still habitually want to rely on Altmann to see if she has a chance to help them turn the tables.

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Also, the fact that he has been following Altmann all the time makes me think that Altmann may treat him well (The word "well" here is relative. Perhaps Muller himself thinks that Altmann treats him better than she treats others). It seems that Altmann is the kind of person who clearly distinguishes rewards and punishments. My guess is that if Muller makes a serious mistake, she will punish him, but if he does well, Altmann will also reward him. The result of this is that Muller may feel that whether he is punished or rewarded depends entirely on his performance.

(Sometimes I feel that the relationship between Altmann and Muller is a bit like that between a dog trainer and a large dog that is used to being on a leash. (This is not a derogatory statement, I think large dogs are cute so I use this description))

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Sometimes I also think that since Muller attaches great importance to hierarchical relationships, if one day Altmann's order infringes on Muller's private space, he may also bite his teeth and accept it.

But I think there may be a tacit understanding between them. Altmann probably separates work and life like Muller, and may really not infringe on his private space. After all, there is no need. She is done after giving the order, and how Muller executes it is his business. Besides, Muller seems to be completely accustomed to the rules of Altmann, so he also knows where to demarcate his private space. After all, work partners and life partners are very different.

(By the way, I guess Huberts probably doesn't have the same sense of boundaries with Altmann as Muller. He may be talking about work in the last second, and ask Altmann if she stayed up late last night in the next second (x))

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I personally think that Altmann and Muller are not the kind of stereotyped superiors and subordinates, but a bit like long-term partners, but mixed with strong power relations.

When Frank first take the subway to the ministry and meet Altmann, she will say, "Muller told me that you would talk a lot of nonsense." This made me feel that Muller was the kind of person who could read his boss's mind, so he knew what information his boss needed and would provide Altmann with a lot of key information.

Altmann's attitude towards Frank and her attitude towards Muller may be different. I personally think that she, to some extent, regards Muller as a long-term partner & capable subordinate, and if there are really some harmless benefits, she will probably give him. She will not be like this with Frank, and Frank may need to ask her for it himself before Altmann may consider whether to give it to him.

And although I think Muller can understand the true intentions of Altmann's words and actions to a certain extent, I have also written before that I feel that he will not guess the parts he should not guess. So compared to what Huberts, who is on the same level as Altmann, can understand, perhaps Muller's information is somewhat blocked. The part of the information that Muller can see more than Huberts may come from following Altmann for a longer time, while Huberts can stand in the same position as Altmann and look at her actions from an relatively equal perspective.

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If the player chooses to help Huberts, Frank will receive a task to place a signal transmitter in the office or room of Altmann, Muller and Henker. Muller will naturally stand in Altmann's office and not let Frank in. This plot is also very intriguing.

Frank only needs to tell the guard that Muller broke into Altmann's office without permission, and the guard will take Muller out of the office. We could indicate that Muller's action here may not have been authorized by Altmann.

A boss like Altmann who has a strong sense of boundaries and is very strict with her subordinates may not let anyone enter her office casually. However, Muller can stand there without authorization to protect his boss, and it seems that he was not worried that Altmann will scold him after she comes back. This makes me think that there is a trust relationship between him and Altmann.

I don't claim that their relationship is good like friends. My guess is that Altmann knows that Muller is an obedient and good subordinate who will not do anything out of line, and will try his best to protect her interests, so she may have given Muller some freedom to complete the task by default. Their efficient military-style communication mode gives me the feeling that as long as Muller can convince Altmann of the reasons for his behavior, she probably won't make things difficult for Muller.

In addition, Muller's office does not take any measures to prevent others from entering. He stays in Altmann's office all the time, which gives me the feeling of sacrificing soldiers to protect the king. And this act of protecting the ace was voluntary.

One thing I like about Muller's personality is that he has his own strategy and ideas when completing tasks (I like it because this makes me feel that he has his own way of thinking when looking at problems). And as mentioned before, he has a strong sense of hierarchy, these lead to the result that he has his own understanding of where to put himself on the chessboard when looking at the overall situation. Altmann is the ace of the conservative camp for him, and he recognizes the ace from the bottom of his heart (this can be seen from the fact that Muller still follows Altmann after Huberts' victory), so he will do everything he can to protect her.

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I personally think both Muller and Altmann follow a simple and efficient military style, which can be seen from their actions and dialogue in the game. When Muller talk to Frank, he repeatedly emphasizes ideas like "Doing, not talking." If the player chooses to help Altmann, she will also emphasize to Frank that he should not ask questions, but just take action. Maybe their long-term cooperation has a lot to do with their similar styles of doing things.

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The above analysis does not mean that I am advocating that their relationship is a normal and pleasant superior-subordinate relationship. In the following paragraphs, I will focus on the part of their relationship where Muller may have "violated his own will in the process of keeping the relationship".

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In the game, Muller and Altmann would arrive at the ministry very early every day and leave work very late

(Altmann appears from the subway entrance at 5 o'clock every morning and arrives at the subway entrance at about 22:00 in the evening. Muller appears from the subway entrance at about 6 o'clock in the morning and arrives at the subway entrance at about 22:30 in the evening).

This reminds me of a point I saw before:

"Although some bosses who have climbed from the bottom to the top are excellent, they may use their own values to exploit their subordinates, such as bringing forward the working hours or interfering with the employees' rest time, etc. "

I think the similarity between Muller and Altmann's work and rest schedule may be related to Muller's personal work habits on the one hand, and the heavy workload assigned to him by Altmann on the other hand. Also, it may relates to the requirements Altmann has for him.

His attitude towards Frank is similar to Altmann's attitude towards her subordinates. He cares more about whether the task can be executed in most cases, and is unwilling to have more communication (even so, he will still communicate with Frank and complete his work conscientiously). This makes me feel that he does not really like his work, but just executes the tasks assigned by his superiors without emotion. Although he is busy every day and is unwilling to have too much communication with others, he is still forced to communicate with others. This makes me feel that he may not be willing to go to work early and leave work late every day in his heart.

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As mentioned above, the reasons why Muller chooses to follow Altmann may include that he is used to Altmann's rules and recognized her abilities and ideas. In addition, there may also be some involuntary parts.

There is a sentence in the conversation between Muller and Frank, "Become an obedient cog in the system." On the one hand, this plot makes me think that Muller is a disseminator of Altmann's ideas. On the other hand, this sentence also shows his own values, that is, he abides by the established rules of society.

His choice to follow Altmann may also be related to his own values. On the premise of recognizing the established rules of society, he may think that following Altmann is a choice to protect his rights and pursue a better life in such a society.

Based on his ability, I think he knew in his heart that Altmann would use him as a pawn and might abandon him or harm his interests when necessary. But after comprehensively considering factors such as the social environment and his own situation, he finally chose to follow Altmann. This may not be a completely voluntary choice, but more of a result of comprehensive considerations.

French philosopher Michel Foucault once made this point in an interview (1980):

"If I use my age, my social position, the knowledge I may have about this or that, to make you behave in some particular way—that is to say, I’m not forcing you at all and I’m leaving you completely free—that’s when I begin to exercise power."

I think Muller's choice to follow Altmann was influenced by such kind of invisible power. In Beholder3's worldview, class relations are solidified, and the upper class holds more resources and power. In this case, conforming to the wishes of the upper class may sometimes be self-destructive or inhumane, but it is a more likely way to get promoted and gain more social resources. Therefore, even if society does not outwardly require people to choose to follow the upper class, this underlying influence caused by power (the upper class can easily use their power to shape society and influence the fate of ordinary people in Beholder3's worldview) still drives people to follow and even serve the interests of the upper class. From this perspective, I think Muller's choice to follow Altmann is not completely voluntary, or to some extent, is "forced to do so".

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In addition, because their relationship is unequal due to the imbalance of power, there is invisible coercion in this relationship.

Therefore, when there is a conflict between their ideas, Muller may put forward his own views, but in the end he may still follow Altmann's ideas. If Altmann issues an order that harms his interests, it is difficult for him to really disobey.

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Even though Muller knows that the relationship is unequal, he still chooses to follow Altmann, and he does not leave even when he and Altmann are homeless on the streets. This makes me think that his understanding of this relationship may gradually change from "not completely voluntary" to "accepting it and even treating it as a habit".(Of course, I don’t deny that maybe he doesn’t leave because he considered various factors and still believe that following Altmann is the best option when he is living on the streets.)

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I sometimes wonder if the same hierarchical relationship still exists between them after they are on the streets. Although the hierarchical relationship no longer exists in essence, the habit of following this "unequal relationship" may still remain. Just… there might be some slight changes depending on the situation.

Following this conjecture, I wrote this in an Altmann/Muller fanfic I posted on AO3 before:

(The first few sentences are said by Altmann)

"Just because we fell from that place, we should realize that... we must rely on each other to survive."

"Whether it's survival or... life."

"Muller, you are right. I am still your boss. One day, I will take us back to that place."

"Until then, you just need to be like before. Be my knife and blade, be my weapon. Don't ask questions, don't be curious about the answers, execute, chop, kill, and obey."

She stared. The broken lens of her subordinate reflected her face.

"Open your eyes. Look at me."

Through the darkness, Muller's eyes swept to his boss, and a resolute and indifferent face was reflected in his eyes, overlapping with the shadow of being at the top of the country in the past few decades. Those eagle-like eyes, although hidden with fatigue, were still as sharp as a knife, tightly locking Muller's eyes soaked in chaos.

"Good."

"Betrayal brings destruction, obedience will be rewarded. No matter where we are, no matter who we are, I hope you can engrave it in your soul."

"Do you understand?"

He was silent for a while, calmed his breathing, and uttered a reply from the depths of his throat.

"...Yes."

Intuition caught a flash of relief in the colonel's eyes, as if a huge stone had been lifted off her chest.

"Don't forget who you are. And don't forget that we are in the same boat."

Even though this is just my own speculation and imagination, this passage basically expresses my core understanding of their relationship.

(By the way, since this fanfic has age-restricted content which is hard to translate, so I only posted the Chinese version, sry TT)

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In summary, Muller and Altmann have similar ideas, but there is a power relationship. Muller is Altmann's knife, her useful and perfect weapon. And Altmann is Muller's umbrella, the trump card in his heart, and also the master whom he has to and is accustomed to obey and serve.

Thanks for reading! I'll add screenshots of the plots I mentioned in this post when I get my laptop :)

Since my native language is not English, there may be some inaccurate words in this post. Also, these are mainly my own personal opinions, so they are not absolutely objective. But I will be very happy if it can provide some inspiration.

The relationship between Lotte, Stephen and Ernst is very interesting. I will continue to create fan works. ^^

#beholder 3 #lotte altmann #ernst müller

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