At first, her hope that Luke was alive made her persevere in society. When she began seeing the Commander, she was able to reconnect with emotional intimacy. The reconnection to emotional ties leads him to be able to play a determining role in the relationship with Nick. Her relationship with Nick started because Offred needed it. Offred was able to survive in this society thanks to human connections. Offred believes that she can trust Nick because it is "impossible to think that someone for whom I feel such gratitude could betray me." (Atwood). His confidence gives Offred the emotional connection she needs to survive. This trust finally allows him to feel safe in this society. However, her sense of security does not come from Nick, but from herself, she is no longer afraid of the consequences. She has accepted her fate if she gets caught with Nick and is willing to take that risk to have this relationship. In this relationship, Nick isn't the one who forced this to happen, which makes him nervous about the outcome. On several occasions, he shares his concerns with Offred about the way she acts towards the Commander: “Don't change anything. Otherwise, they will know” (Atwood 270). Nick is more afraid of the consequences for Offred than she is. Even if Offred was willing to do it