why, have I never noticed this? Nina Sloan’s debut theme changes everything I thought I knew about my childhood. Ms. Sloan — a first-year student at Dartmouth College who has also been published in The Wall Street Journal crossword — deftly points a finger at perhaps the most insidious case of bullying and gaslighting from the cabal known as Big Candy. (Please note that while I am not the type of person who believes in conspiracy theories, I am perfectly happy to start one.) Good for you for being a whistle-blower, Ms. Sloan. This sort of thing needs to be called out and dealt with. I shall require substantial donations of the items in the puzzle as, uh, evidence.