Many of us have heard of the "dysfunctional relationship" characterized by the twists and turns of emotions and outrageous behavior of two self-destructive individuals. However, we never imagine ourselves in this situation, playing either the stereotypical role of the woman or the crazy man, both blinded by love or some other passionate emotion. However, in Waiting for the Barbarians, JM Coetzee creates a breathtaking, head-turning relationship between the old pedophile magistrate and the damaged young barbarian. The transformative relationship between the two individuals is based on torture, guilt, atonement and power. From a didactic point of view, through their relationship, Coetzee intends for the reader to understand the effect of moral idleness and also that it is reflected in the idea of ​​the true barbarian. Quickly in the novel, torture can be discerned as an important theme that shapes the transformative relationship. between the magistrate and the young barbarian girl. The magistrate considers himself “a responsible civil servant in the service of the Empire” who carries out his daily duties in an isolated and quiet town, “waiting to retire” (8). His remarkably calm and contented lifestyle is disrupted following the arrival of Colonel Joll and shortly after the start of the senseless imprisonment and torture. Initially, by abstaining from investigation and torture, the magistrate perceives himself as the opposite of the obviously evil man with “discs of glass hanging in front of his eyes” (1). Without directly causing the bruises and scars that result, the magistrate nevertheless participates in the torture through his association with the Empire. He is aware and even states that many prisoners, like the fisherman, are innocent...... middle of paper ...... the administration's desire to preserve its ideals of right and wrong by creating a non-existent enemy and a war. If Colonel Joll's soldiers “could never catch them [the barbarians],” were they there to begin with? Creating problems without valid basis is just as harmful as waiting for a bad action to happen and waiting for others to fix the problem. Coetzee uses the strange relationship between the magistrate and the barbarian maiden as penance to intellectually display the effects of guilt due to moral idleness. If empires, governments and administrations commit illegal acts, as a citizen and especially as a human being, everyone should react and express their opinion, instead of crouching in fear or helping when the need arises. the damage is already done. The novel makes us wonder if we will be another facilitator of the bystander effect..