Hunter's Display

One of the most gruesome scenes in the wire is the scene where Omar's partner is strung out over the hood of a car like a dead dear on display.  This is some of the best symbolism in The Wire.  One ever present themes in the series is "the game" and the struggle for control of the streets.  In this struggle there are hunters and the hunted; however the roles change constantly.  As a part of Omar's crew, his partner is one of the players in the dangerous "game".  After stealing the stash as one of the hunters, the partner as well as the rest of the crew became marked men.  They became the hunted.  As violence and one's capability of committing violence plays such an important role in determining who gains control of the street, mistakes are costly.  Omar's partner having dropped his name at the heist of the stash, painted a target on his back as well as Omar's.  With prices on their heads, this mistake proved costly.  After Wallace and  Bodie see Omar's partner enjoying his favorite game of pinball, the hit is made and the body is put on display for all to recognize as a sign of who owns the streets of West Baltimore.  The partner became a trophy, a symbol of how violent and hard "the game" is played.  At any time the hunters may become the hunted and the volatile streets of West Baltimore, the hunting grounds of fiends and predators are in constant turmoil because one encroachment always provokes reaction.