Twenty people brought together from all different backgrounds, with the hypothesis that isolation and stimulus will make them commit murder. The motives and the promise of freedom are all the independent variables, because they're the factors that the Showrunners control, with who kills for which motive being the dependent variable, because it is dependent on the independent variable.

But then... They have one person who's dealt with murderers and with a comparable format before. They could have just told you when you were recruited to do the same thing you did last time, to not interfere or try to help us. But they told you that you could help. And in so doing, they made you an independent variable, too.

Their hypothesis is that even with exposure to hope, any person can fall into despair with the right stimulus. What they're not counting on... is losing control of an independent variable.

[It's science, Jim!]