Aung San Suu Kyi once said: “Within a system that denies the existence of basic human rights, fear tends to be the order of the day” . This is the fundamental reality for Libyan citizens living under Gaddafi's repressive regime. Under pressure to conform to social and partisan government desires, citizens live in constant fear. The foundation of terror on which Libyan society is built creates an unstable environment that leads people to commit acts of treason. Suleiman betrays his best friend Kareem when he attempts to vent his frustration over his lack of understanding of his family life. Baba and Mama ultimately betray Suleiman when they send him to Egypt to protect him from Libya's totalitarian and militaristic government. In the novel In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar, the author illustrates betrayal as a ramification of a severe environment rather than an inveterate flaw of human nature. Suleiman's temperamental home life and resentment towards his family's secrecy lead him to betray his best friend Kareem by calling his father a traitor. Suleiman is plagued by frustration and anger as his mother hides the truth about his father's whereabouts and the stability within his home collapses. Suleiman's annoyance with his family life and his mother who "always lies to him" leads him to take his anger out on his friend Kareem during a game of My Land, Your Land (98). During the game, Suleiman antagonizes Kareem, taunting him in front of the other boys and revealing his secret "beloved" Leila (Matar 106). Suleiman continues to provoke Kareem by insinuating that “everyone” knew that his father was a “traitor” (Matar 107). When Suleiman divulges Kareem's secrets and calls his father a traitor, he is betraying Kareem... middle of paper... an excessive regime. Although Mama and Baba betrayed Suleiman by forcing him to grow up without his parents, their actions were an implication of their country's turbulent environment and an attempt to protect him. In the short story In the Country of Men, Hisham Matar illustrates betrayal as an effect of an anarchic environment, rather than an intrinsic flaw in one's character. Although Suleiman betrayed his best friend Kareem by calling his father a traitor, his actions stemmed from his unstable home and frustration with his parents. Baba and Mama betrayed Suleiman by sending him to Egypt and forcing him to grow up without parents; however, their actions were an attempt to save Suleiman from a dictatorial Libya. Although the characters in this novel have their imperfections, their display of infidelity is a consequence of Libya's instability rather than their character..