| One could argue that the series is more about Alice
than it is about Lain. In fact, the entire story hinges on the
relationship between Alice and Lain.
Alice has taken on Lain to be her special project. She sees
Lain's empty soul and fills it with her friendship, compassion, and
love. During the shooting at Cyberia, Alice risks her own life to
get Lain out of harm's way. She always insures that Lain is okay.
Both to Lain and her friends, Alice is like a mother figure. She
keeps Reika and Juri in line when they get too mean or bossy. She
also encourages everyone and seems to be the one who organizes their
activities.
Unlike Juri and Reika, Alice seems to be more knowledgeable of
the Wired. She has a pocket Navi and is familiar with hacker jargon.
Perhaps it is this familiarity that sparks her concern for Lain as
she becomes more involved with the Wired.
Warning Spoilers Follow
Alice, however, is not without flaws. Away from her friends she
leads a secret life. Her clandestine relationship with forbidden
love becomes a tool for the Knights that ultimately backfires (see
Mysteries of Lain: Who Spread the Rumors about Alice?)
In the end, when Lain is teetering on the borderline between
reality and the Wired, it is Alice who relentlessly insists that one
cannot exist without the warmth of direct human interaction. She
convinces Lain that her feelings are real; that she has the same
hearts and emotions of any living being.
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