: B2 confronts Salter after meeting B1. The truth is revealed: Salter cloned B1 to have a "fresh start" after his first attempt at parenting failed.
The play evokes the psychological concept of the "doppelgänger," a theme famously explored by Sigmund Freud. As noted on PMC , the encounter with one's "double" in A Number heralds psychological disintegration, particularly for B2, who struggles with the feeling of being an "inauthentic" copy. A Number Caryl Churchill Pdf
By presenting genetically identical individuals with vastly different personalities—from the vengeful B1 to the placid Michael Black—Churchill highlights that human essence is not merely a product of DNA. Scholars on Archive ouverte HAL suggest that identity in the play is a "social construct" rather than a genetic destiny. : B2 confronts Salter after meeting B1
, who has recently discovered he is one of a "number" of clones. Salter initially claims B2 is the "original" and that the cloning was an unauthorized medical theft. : Salter meets Bernard 1 (B1) As noted on PMC , the encounter with