The characters of Long Day’s Journey into Night carry with them resentments and irritations with each other that are unresolved, even at the end of the play. The reason for this lack of resolution is that the characters insist on deflecting away from their problems depending on the situation. When one character makes too pointed of a comment to another, they might change the subject or refocus their attention on an irritation they have with a different character, and the purpose of this deflection is to avoid confronting the problem they have highlighted. As the play progresses and the characters become more open about their discontent through the mediation of alcohol and morphine, they become more willing to address the issues that come up, but they are still unable to fully resolve their irritations, even if they can name and describe the source of their resentment.

The most prominent example of deflection is regarding Mary’s addiction. Mary herself does not deflect away from the issue, acknowledging that she is using morphine to escape from her troubles into her memories of when she was happy. Tyrone, Jamie, and Edmund, though, tend to simply change the subject or deflect onto another point of resentment or discomfort.