One character misunderstands another character or circumstance and all of the characters must deal with the consequences. Miscommunication is a classic Shakespearean theme. Romeo and Juliet die due to miscommunication. King Lear disowns his daughter because of miscommunication. MacBeth believes he is invulnerable due to miscommunication.
Deception is similar to miscommunication, but it involves deliberate lies.
While the three witches in MacBeth technically tell MacBeth the truth at all times, Richard III uses both miscommunication and outright lies in his rise to the throne, and he does so with malicious glee, destroying the lives around him until he himself is destroyed by his own deceptions. This can be as fanciful as Alice wandering through Wonderland , as dramatic as Trisha McFarland, lost and fighting for her life in the New England forest in Stephen King's The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon . It can also be as simple as sending an introvert to a party. It is important to note that the displacement works both ways. Every character has unfulfilled wants and needs.