What do Boesman and Lena mean to each other?

Boesman and Lena (1969) follows a
pattern which is typical of Fugard's plays such as The Blood Knot
(1963) and Hello and Goodbye (1966). It explores the
controversial and ambiguous relationship between two characters who are inextricably
bound together. Such relationship is challenged as a third character arrives. In this
case, this third character is Outa whose presence briefly offers Lena a contact with
someone else than her abusive husband Boesman. The couple are mixed-race Soth Africans
who have been evicted from their home and is forced to wander along the Swartkops River
near Port Elizabeth. The action of the play takes place when the apartheid, the system
of laws segregating and discriminating black South Africans, was in full force. Through
the characters of Boesman and Lena the play explores notions of freedom and identity in
a context that is extremely discouraging for both. It also complicates the idea of
oppression by showing how an oppressed like Boesman feels the need to oppress in turn.
Surprisingly, Lena seems to get a sense of identity from her husband's abuse, although
the encounter with Outa makes her see the possibility of claimimg her own
freedom.