Cross is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in modern drama. In this essay, she discusses Aston's motivations in his relationship with Davies.

Numerous critics have said that much of the action of The Caretaker is dominated by the characters' struggle for power over one another. As Michael Billington remarked in his book The Life and Work of Harold Pinter, "Power is the theme: dominate or be dominated." Pinter shows, Billington continued, "that life is a series of negotiations for advantage in which everything comes into play." Indeed, in The Caretaker, this often seems to be the case. Davies tries to play Aston and Mick against each other as he struggles to establish a foothold in the room. Mick maintains power over Davies by physical as well as verbal assaults. And at the end of the play, Aston exerts his power by forcing Davies to leave; the struggle...