Sunset Boulevard: Joe's Dilemma at Norma's Decaying Mansion

The student's question pertains to characters' motivations in a film noir context, specifically in the relationship between Joe and Norma from the film Sunset Boulevard. Among the proposed options, Joe's reasons for not leaving Norma could be multifaceted involving psychological and material elements, one of which is his financial dependence. This scenario is often reflected in film noir, where characters are trapped in complicated, sometimes morally ambiguous situations.

However, none of the provided answer choices explicitly matches the plot of Sunset Boulevard. In the film, Joe is kept at Norma's mansion because he becomes financially dependent on her lavish lifestyle and her promises of making his scriptwriting career successful. Norma does not have explicit evidence adhering to Joe's involvement in any crime but uses emotional manipulation and the lure of wealth and success to keep him entangled in her world.