At first her hope that Luke was alive made her persevere in society. When she began to see the Commander she was able to reconnect with emotional intimacy. Reconnecting to emotional connections leads her to be able to be the strong hand in having a relationship with Nick. Her relationship with Nick began because Offred needed it. Offred was able to survive this society through human connection. Offred feels she can trust Nick because it is "impossible to think that someone for whom I feel so much gratitude could betray me." (Atwood). Her trust in him gives Offred the emotional connection she needs to survive. This trust finally makes her feel safe in this society. However, her feeling of being safe does not come from Nick, but from herself, she is no longer afraid of the consequences. She has accepted her fate if she gets caught with Nick and is willing to take that risk to have this relationship. In this relationship, Nick isn't the one who forced it, making him nervous about the outcome. He repeatedly shares his concerns with Offred about how she acts towards the Commander, “Don't change anything. Otherwise they will know” (Atwood 270). Nick is more afraid than she is of the consequences for Offred. Even if Offred was willing to do so