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I feel for the three abuse victims; but I have to say that after serious thought, I believe that the police detectives absolutely did the WRONG thing.
The police appointed themselves judge and jury, which is disturbing in itself. Their duty was to deliver the three principals to the justice system for a jury to decide their fate. A jury probably would have been very lenient on all three, perhaps even acquitting them if they didn't feel there was adequate proof of their crimes. At the very least Cassie and Sunny should have informed the crown attorney (or prosecutor's office, if that's what it's called in Britain) and let that legal entity decide whether to press charges. Instead, they kept their actions secretive, including the deliberate cover up of their discovery that two deaths (Colin's abuser and Marion's father) were really [i]planned and pre-meditated murders[/i], which will now never see the light of day.
Although one role of the legal system is to provide justice to victims, the other role is to protect the public safety. How secure is the public if police investigators can decide to ignore overwhelming evidence of a crime and choose not to press charges based on their personal feelings? What will happen if Cassie and Sunny come across another murder where the murderer is more sympathetic than the victim? They've crossed the line once; that may well make it easier to cross it again and say, "Let's not press charges in this case either; after all, we've done it before."
I can understand Cassie and Sunny's sympathy toward Marion, Colin, and Sara. Their humanity is illustrated in the fact that they don't relish putting the three through the ordeal of a trial. But they have set a dangerous precedent with their decision.
A couple years late, but my interpretation (which is not necessarily "fact") is that yes, there was a tooth hidden in the wall. It is Trelkovsky's tooth, and Trelkovsky himself extracted it and put it there.
Why?
Watching this film, I get a strong sense of Trelkovsky's shame and repression. He convinces himself that the tenants are doing certain things to him, when in reality he himself wants to do these things -- and in fact does do them -- but he represses all memory of it. He claims the tenants spend hours in the common bathroom, staring at him from the window. But isn't he the real voyeur, sitting at his own window with binoculars poised, constantly staring at them? He wakes up one morning with makeup on his face, certain that the tenants broke into his apartment and applied it while he slept. But in an earlier scene, we saw him linger with fascination over Simone Choule's possessions, even trying on her nail polish. Could we not conclude that Trelkovsky himself put on the makeup, but repressed the act because he was ashamed?
Likewise with the tooth. When he is with Stella in her apartment, he recounts the story of a man who lost a leg; and he wonders aloud how much of one's body one can lose while still retaining the essence of one's self. When he arrives home, we see him examine his face in the mirror, touching his jaw as if he is actually considering removing a tooth. If he chips away at his body, even a small part of it, can he amputate those traits of which he is so ashamed? I believe he attempts just that. A few scenes later (IIRC), he wakes with a bloody mouth and finds the tooth in the wall.
His misplaced shame turns to paranoia, as he feels the disapproving tenants will never simply let him be, but must pursue him and change him.
Well, I guess after 40+ years Pippet IS gone :) -- but I can't accept that Pippet became shark food. I like to think that Pippet died peacefully of old age.
So I'll believe my theory and you believe yours, and I guess we'll agree to disagree on this one.
Why does everyone believe that Pippet fell prey to the shark?
Animals have a keen sense of impending danger; for example, they get skittish before earthquakes and storms. A few years ago, an adult bear was spotted in the neighborhood where my friend and his wife lived. They personally didn't see the bear, but their two dogs were spooked and didn't want to go for their walks. After the police shot the bear, the dogs were back to their normal behavior.
After Pippet's owner tossed that stick into the ocean that last time, I can imagine Pippet thinking, "Uh-oh, there's something creepy in that water. See you later, stick; I'm outta here ..." I think it's quite plausible that Pippet just ran off somewhere, and later came out to join his (her?) owner when the danger was over.
The stick floating in the water while Pippet is no where around still effectively foreshadows the impending menace of the shark; only I would add that this menace was clear to Pippet in ways that humans can't intuit, thus causing him (her?) to take cover.