Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film contrasts Berkeley's counterculture atmosphere with Boston's urban academic environment. Berkeley represents freedom and rebellion, while Boston, particularly Harvard, symbolizes the conventional life Peter is escaping. This geographic tension mirrors Peter's internal conflict between choosing a safe, respectable future or pursuing thrill and danger.

• berkeley
• boston
• setting
• counterculture
• harvard

The late 1960s backdrop adds historical weight to the characters' choices. Anti-war sentiment and the rising drug culture define the era's social climate, making the drug trafficking feel both rebellious and perilous. The Vietnam War's shadow deepens the stakes, as the characters' criminal activities exist within a world already saturated with political tension and moral ambiguity.

• 1960s
• vietnam war
• drug culture
• counterculture
• 1960s era

The film explores how ordinary people get pulled into dangerous criminal worlds through ambition and the lure of quick money. Peter's journey shows how a desire for excitement can push even a Harvard law student toward moral compromise. The scheme spirals beyond control, bringing violence, police, and ruthless rivals into what started as a seemingly simple job.

• crime
• drug trafficking
• ambition
• moral compromise
• risk

Peter is a cocky Harvard law student who craves excitement and rebels against his square, conventional image. Rather than following the safe path of a legal career, he gets pulled into drug dealing by his friend John. His motivations blend thrill-seeking with a desire to prove himself, though his choices quickly lead to dangerous consequences.

• peter
• harvard
• law student
• thrill seeking
• rebellion

Susan and Annie embody Peter's two competing choices. Susan is confident, adventurous, and drawn to risk, she represents the thrilling but dangerous life Peter craves. Annie is prudish and reserved, embodying the safe, conventional future Peter could have chosen. His attraction to Susan ultimately pulls him deeper into the criminal underworld.

• susan
• annie
• peter
• love triangle
• choice

The film depicts corruption through Sergeant Murphy, a police officer who colludes with gangster Cortez rather than enforcing the law. This betrayal of institutional trust creates additional obstacles for the protagonists. The web of deception extends beyond criminals to the very people supposed to protect citizens, showing how compromised institutions enable crime.

• corruption
• betrayal
• police
• murphy
• cortez

Cortez is a dangerous Cuban gangster whose involvement in the drug stash raises the stakes significantly. He represents the violent criminal element that transforms Peter's initially straightforward smuggling job into a life-threatening situation. His presence introduces real danger and gunfire, escalating the plot beyond typical drug deal complications.

• cortez
• cuban
• gangster
• danger
• drugs

Peter's infatuation with Susan drives much of the plot's tension and complications. His attraction to her fuels his willingness to take risks, even as it conflicts with his relationship with Annie. The film portrays love as both a powerful motivator and a peril, Susan's capture triggers the story's most dangerous rescue plan, showing how romance can create both courage and catastrophe.

• romance
• obsession
• susan
• love
• danger

Buzzy Linhart plays a musician friend who hosts Peter and Susan, placing him in the orbit of the drug-dealing scheme. Though not a central figure, he represents the counterculture network that surrounds the characters, musicians, artists, and free-thinkers who exist outside conventional society and become incidental participants in the criminal world Peter enters.

• buzzy
• musician
• counterculture
• supporting character

John is Peter's best friend and a theater director who pushes him into the drug business. He masks manipulation as opportunity, convincing the cocky Harvard student that drug dealing represents an exciting alternative to his conventional future. John's role highlights how peer pressure and false friendship can lead well-meaning people toward destructive decisions.

• john
• friend
• manipulation
• peer pressure
• theater director