Bioshock Infinite: 10 Important Details You Didn't Notice
8. The Opening Quote By ‘R. Lutece’ Is From Robert, Not Rosalind
Infinite opens with this enigmatic quote:
“The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist…” ― R. Lutece, Barriers to Trans-Dimensional Travel, 1889
As with much of what happens in Infinite this is a case of foreshadowing and thematic depth all in one, setting up both the reveal of Comstock as an alternate universe Booker and explaining the mechanics of the game’s infinite universes.
The mystery of who ‘R. Lutece’ is seems to be solved early on. Both the audio logs we discover and the kinetoscope shorts focus on Rosalind with no mention of a Robert Lutece, and with both sources drawing deliberate attention to her scientific prowess we naturally assume that she is the R. Lutece in question.
Instead, the quote originates with her alternate universe counterpart, Robert Lutece. When the Luteces pull Booker into Comstock’s universe his mind struggles to reconcile old memories with the new, prompting Robert to say that this confirms his theory, and in turn confirming that the quote came from Robert.
It’s an answer that comes late but lends enormous weight, and helps makes sense of Infinite’s climactic revelation of infinite doors and infinite universes.