Bibbit babies Billy and rules him completely which is why Billy kills himself when he knows his mom will find about Candy. ... He also has McMurphy mention that "ball-cutters" can be any age or gender. ... McMurphy calls her a "ball-cutter." ... McMurphy notices that, .the first thing that got to me about this place, that there wasn't anybody laughing. ... Bibbit's absolute power over Billy is shown when Nurse Ratched, having caught Billy having sex with a prostitute, threatens to tell his mother. ...

• Word Count: 818
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Candy's role in the novel is to help Billy reach manhood. ... Although she defeats McMurphy, turning him into a vegetable, the Chief wins a victory against her power by killing McMurphy and escaping from the hospital and her control. In the novel, Nurse Ratched also becomes a surrogate mother to the Chief and to Billy; to Harding, she becomes a surrogate wife. ... Similarly, Billy Bibbit's mother treats him like an infant and does not allow him to develop sexually. Through sex with Candy, Billy briefly regains his confidence. ...

• Word Count: 825
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Her power is expressed in very sexual terms: she is, McMurphy says after his first group meeting, "a ball-cutter." ... Bibbit has prevented Billy from becoming a functioning adult by preventing him from losing his virginity. ... McMurphy points out that Dale Harding treats his wife fully as badly as she treats him. ... And they suffer a variety of symptoms: Billy's stuttering, the Chief's apparent deaf-muteness, and Harding's uncontrollable hands. ... McMurphy on the other hand isn't necessarily insane. ...

• Word Count: 1132
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

McMurphy on the other hand is a new transfer and a shrewd conman. ... Likewise, Billy Bibbit's mother treats him like a child and does not allow him to progress or mature. However, by having intercourse with Candy, Billy regains his confidence and self-assurance for a short while. This is until Nurse Ratched uncovers what atrocity has occurred under her supervision and threatens to divulge what has happened to Billy's mother. Thus, Billy is consequently driven to commit suicide and serve as yet another example of the negative effects that women have on men in the story. ...

• Word Count: 957
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School