Pinter's Idea of ‘Love of Power’ in The Caretaker

Love of power is a primitive instinct. Power is connected with territory and the struggle for supremacy within that territory. Apparently, the theme of power is depicted through Davies and Mick but Aston at the end exerts his power and banishes the outsider from what he considers his domain.

Davies’s love for power springs from his ambition to get a secure and safe position in the room away from the hostile world outside. So when he learns that the apartment belongs to Mick, he tries to ingratiate himself with Mick so that he can separate the two brothers and easily oust Aston. With Mick, the case is different. In the case of Davies, power is seen principally in terms of territory and social status, with Mick it offers the sadistic pleasure of dominating and harassing another individual. Mick achieves this power partly through physical violence, but mainly through his sudden changes of tone and attitude when he converses with Davies. He plays with Davies as an angler plays with a fish, allowing him much line and then reeling him abruptly in. Society and its institutions also enjoy power which can deny Aston his full humanity.