How a Latin phrase on the walls secretly foreshadowed Squid Game Season 3’s most brutal moments

Squid Game Season 3 ended on a chilling note: Gi‑hun dies, none of the 456 participants survive except for Player 222's baby, who was declared the winner. At first glance, the colorful dormitories seemed simply playful, contrasting starkly with the brutal games.

But a subtle detail on the dorm walls quietly hinted at this grim finale. Hidden among the murals was the Latin phrase "Hodie mihi, cras tibi", translated as "Today it’s me, tomorrow it will be you". This is a somber proverb often etched on centuries‑old tombstones, reminding us all of life's fragility.

This phrase wasn’t just decoration in Squid Game Season 3. It carried the weight of the season’s deadly tone and served as a silent foreshadowing of the characters’ fates.

Keep reading to learn more about this Latin phrase, where it appears, and how it echoes the show’s darkest themes, subtly preparing viewers for the finale they didn’t see coming.

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What "Hodie mihi, cras tibi" means and why Squid Game Season 3 writers placed it on dorm walls

As previously explained, Squid Game Season 3 features the Latin phrase, "Hodie mihi, cras tibi," which translates to "Today it’s me; tomorrow it will be you." It’s something you’d often find carved into old gravestones, basically a grim reminder that death comes for everyone eventually.

For Seasons 2 & 3, the production designer, Chae Kyoung-sun, cleverly included this phrase in the design of the dormitory. She actually drew inspiration from real tombstones and headstones to create that feeling.

In an interview with Marie Claire, she said:

"I got to thinking a lot about graveyards and what’s written on tombstones."

The designer continued:

"We spent a lot of time designing the font, too, whether we should use the font that’s more antique, or use emoji-like icons and simplify the text."

If you look closely, the words are subtly placed on the walls near the bunks. It’s not flashy or obvious, but it definitely stands out once you notice it. Instead of hiding the danger behind cheerful visuals, this one detail puts the message of death right out in the open.

Even the font they used looks old and serious, like something from another time, which adds to the eerie mood. What’s even more interesting is that none of the characters ever mentions the phrase. It’s just there for sharp-eyed viewers to catch.

Chae Kyoung-sun also mentioned that the drawing featuring humans hanging on the walls "reflects the players' psychological state," as they have been thrown into a deadly game that the outside world is unaware of.

Also Read: Squid Game Season 3: Why Dae-ho was the only person Gi-hun ever wanted to kill, explained

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How does this hidden message tie into Squid Game Season 3’s fatal finale

The Latin phrase ties in perfectly with Squid Game’s bigger message about how people are pushed to risk everything, including their lives, because of desperation and inequality. Characters like Oh Il-nam and the Front Man believe that since death is unavoidable, gambling for money gives it some kind of meaning.

But in Squid Game Season 3, that idea completely falls apart. Nobody survives, not even Gi-hun, the main character. The creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, said Gi-hun’s death was meant to show how deeply unfair the system is, and how sometimes, doing the right thing means losing everything.

That’s why the phrase "Hodie mihi, cras tibi" on the dorm walls hits so hard. It’s not just decoration. It’s a quiet clue to viewers that no one will make it out alive. Additionally, the production designer revealed that the walls were also designed with a checkerboard of crosses resembling a graveyard.

This visual was meant to mirror the players’ fragile mental state, constantly trapped between life and death, anxiety and survival. The layout, with its precise symmetry, wasn’t just artistic. It was a haunting reminder that death was always present, watching from the walls.

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Also Read: Squid Game Season 3: Thanos’ return isn’t what it seems – Explained

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