I think society is partially culpable for Bigger murdering Mary. Bigger was oppressed by society because of the color of his skin, which caused him to be a violent person. Because of this, I know that if Bigger was a white man, or if he was treated the same as a white man, he would not have reacted the way he did. He knew that if he was caught with Mary as a black man, the consequences would have been a lot worse than if he was caught with her as a white man. Bigger was trying to protect himself from society, which doesn't justify what he did, but Mary's murder was entirely his fault.