“Would you prefer a lie or the truth?”
Por qué es buena
It hands the choice back before answering anything, and that refusal to soften is the whole attitude.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
Would you prefer a summary or the whole story?
00:00 / 02:26
00:00 / 02:26
Evey Confronts V About Prothero, Explained
V for Vendetta · 2006
Capítulo 10 de 25 · 2'26"
Evey asks V outright if he killed Prothero. He answers with a choice — "Would you prefer a lie or the truth?" — then admits it, and defends himself: "There's no court in this country for men like Prothero." Meanwhile Finch pulls Prothero's military record and finds a gap: a detention facility at Larkhill that officially never existed.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–0:45
Evey Asks V If He Killed Prothero
43s - 2:07–2:24
❝ Monólogo · 5 frases The major's brush-off
Five sentences of polite obstruction that reveal more the harder they try to close the subject.
17s
Evey Confronts V About Prothero, explained
What happens
Evey confronts V over Prothero's death, and he admits he killed him, arguing that violence can serve justice because no court would ever try such a man. She asks if he will kill again; he says yes. Elsewhere, Finch studies Prothero's military record, traces him to a detention facility at Larkhill, and presses a records officer who claims he cannot recall anything.
What's really going on
The scene splits into two kinds of truth-hunting. With Evey, V is almost playful: asked if he killed Prothero, he offers 'Would you prefer a lie or the truth?' before answering plainly, then justifies it — 'There's no court in this country for men like Prothero.' He even counts the Fingermen he killed to save her, noting he 'heard no objection,' which makes the violence feel like a favor. This is V persuading her that his war is justice, not murder. With Finch, the search is bureaucratic and cold: Prothero's file leads to Larkhill, but the paper trail is gone — 'Your records are either deleted, omitted or missing.' The records officer shrugs it off with 'We all did what we had to do,' the language of people who have buried an atrocity and call it necessity.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Would you prefer a lie or the truth?”
- V's way of admitting guilt without dodging it: he lets Evey choose, then tells her the blunt truth about Prothero.
- “I might have killed the Fingermen that attacked you. I heard no objection.”
- He counts the men he killed to protect Evey as another favor, half-joking that she never complained about it.
- “There's no court in this country for men like Prothero.”
- V's justification for murder: since the law cannot touch men like Prothero, he claims violence is the only justice left.
- “Your records are either deleted, omitted or missing.”
- Finch's accusation: the official files trail is scrubbed, so the records officer can keep claiming he simply cannot recall.
- “We all did what we had to do.”
- The records officer's defense for the past: he calls his role at Larkhill a necessity everyone shared, not something to answer for.
- “That's all I have to say about that.”
- A flat refusal to discuss it further, closing the subject the way officials end a conversation they do not want to have.
Theme
- Justice — V admits killing Prothero and defends it as justice, arguing no court would ever hold such a man to account.
- Secrets — Finch traces Prothero to Larkhill, but the records are deleted or missing, and officials hide behind 'we did what we had to do.'
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel2/7
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“I might have killed the Fingermen that attacked you. I heard no objection.”
Por qué es buena
He admits a killing almost casually, then turns it on her for not objecting, which is control dressed as humour.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I might have thrown out the old boxes. I heard no objection.
“There's no court in this country for men like Prothero.”
Por qué es buena
It justifies violence by removing the alternative, insisting there is simply nowhere to try such a man.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
There's no court in this town for people like that landlord.
“Your records are either deleted, omitted or missing.”
Por qué es buena
Three quiet options close every escape route, and the flat syntax makes the accusation harder.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
The receipts are either misfiled, lost or never written.
“We all did what we had to do.”
Por qué es buena
A ready-made shield that dissolves personal blame into a shared, vague necessity.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
It was brutal, but we all did what we had to do.
“That's all I have to say about that.”
Por qué es buena
The blandest closing line cuts off all further questions, and the eagerness to end says the most.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
We are not discussing my school years again. That's all I have to say about that.
Monólogo
Un personaje sostiene la escena: practícalo entero❝ The major's brush-off
Before you go further, let me remind you things were very chaotic back then. Now we don't have the problems we had back then. We all did what we had to do. And in those circumstances, we did the best we could. That's all I have to say about that.
Five sentences of polite obstruction that reveal more the harder they try to close the subject.
Siguiente · 11a man after my own heartLa escena: Evey Tells V Her StoryIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- V justifies killing by claiming no court could ever try such a man.
- A missing ID turns into a confession before Evey can stop it.
- The neat official phrase detention facility hides what Larkhill was.
- The major's polite amnesia is a lesson in bureaucratic evasion.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy does V admit to killing Prothero?
He doesn't lie to Evey. He offers her the truth because he wants her to understand his reasoning, and he believes Prothero's death was justice, not murder.
Why does V say there's no court for men like Prothero?
He means the legal system is corrupt and will never prosecute the regime's people, so in his view violence is the only way to punish them.
What is Larkhill and why does it matter?
Larkhill is a detention facility Prothero was put in charge of. Finch finds it in the records, but the files are deleted or missing, which points to a covered-up secret.
Why does the records officer refuse to help Finch?
He claims he cannot recall the facility and hides behind 'We all did what we had to do.' He is protecting himself and the regime from what happened at Larkhill.
What does 'Fingermen' mean?
It is the film's name for the regime's secret police, the black-clad enforcers who attack people. V says he may have killed the Fingermen who attacked Evey.