a major theme in "rear window" is voyeurism. this is when someone intimately watches someone else. in the film, jeff is spying on his neighbors. this act is morally questionable, and the audience participates in it. the camera follows jeff's eyes. it switches back to facing jeff. the camera allows the viewers to join jeff in his actions. the audience should feel guilty. stella criticizes jeff's actions. she says that people should stop looking out and look at themselves. lisa says jeff's actions are like a disease. she is upset that jeff only watches the neighbors. jeff himself questions if it is alright to spy on a man with binoculars. lisa and stella question jeff's actions at first, but they join him later. the idea of spying can relate to surveillance in the state. during the time, people feared that the government would watch them the whole time. this fear was due to mccarthyism. in the film, a helicopter comes close above the village. it is like the helicopter is spying on the village. there is almost no difference between private and public in the film.