This paper reexamines the relationships between Achilles, Patroclus and Hector in the Iliad, and aims to demonstrate how analogous diction and narrative similarities align Hector and Patroclus. In the first chapter, I characterize the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in terms of intimacy and eroticism through close readings of pertinent passages and summary of the existing scholarship on the topic. I then explore how Patroclus acts as a surrogate or "ritual substitute" for Achilles, a notion established convincingly by Van Brock, Whitman, Nagy and others through linguistic and literary analysis. I argue that when Patroclus dons Achilles' armor, it is the tangible sign that he assumes his identity and that when Hector, in turn, dons the same armor, it is the external sign that Hector assumes the role of Patroclus. I support this in the second chapter when I examine the conflated image of Patroclus and Hector, particularly in their death scenes. The third chapter discusses parallels between Achilles and Hector in order to further support the connection between Hector and Patroclus, since Hector "looks" most like Patroclus when Patroclus "looks" most like Achilles. The fourth chapter consists of a close reading of Hector's monologue in book 22. I argue for the presence of erotic diction and theme in the monologue, and I suggest that the text invites us to see a suppressed erotic relationship between Hector and Achilles which further conflates the image of Patroclus and Hector. Additionally, I consider how Lycaon's death scene imitates the deaths of Hector and Patroclus, and I explore how my reading of these parallels develops our understanding of Achilles.