diff --git a/nac3core/src/typecheck/escape_analysis/mod.rs b/nac3core/src/typecheck/escape_analysis/mod.rs
index d33ca4b8..7fdbf7a6 100644
--- a/nac3core/src/typecheck/escape_analysis/mod.rs
+++ b/nac3core/src/typecheck/escape_analysis/mod.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use std::{collections::HashMap, sync::Arc};
 
-use nac3parser::ast::{Constant, Expr, ExprKind, StrRef};
+use nac3parser::ast::{Constant, Expr, ExprKind, Stmt, StmtKind, StrRef};
 
 use crate::{
     symbol_resolver::SymbolResolver,
@@ -16,11 +16,14 @@ use super::{
 
 pub mod lifetime;
 
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test;
+
 struct LifetimeContext<'a> {
     variable_mapping: HashMap<StrRef, (Lifetime, bool)>,
     scope_ctx: BlockLifetimeContext,
     lifetime_table: LifetimeTable,
-    primitive_store: PrimitiveStore,
+    primitive_store: &'a PrimitiveStore,
     unifier: &'a mut Unifier,
     resolver: Arc<dyn SymbolResolver + Send + Sync>,
     top_level: &'a TopLevelContext,
@@ -29,7 +32,7 @@ struct LifetimeContext<'a> {
 impl<'a> LifetimeContext<'a> {
     pub fn new(
         unifier: &'a mut Unifier,
-        primitive_store: PrimitiveStore,
+        primitive_store: &'a PrimitiveStore,
         resolver: Arc<dyn SymbolResolver + Send + Sync>,
         top_level: &'a TopLevelContext,
     ) -> LifetimeContext<'a> {
@@ -293,7 +296,7 @@ impl<'a> LifetimeContext<'a> {
                     Some((self.lifetime_table.get_unknown_lifetime(), false))
                 }
             }
-            ExprKind::Compare { left,  comparators, .. } => {
+            ExprKind::Compare { left, comparators, .. } => {
                 let mut lifetimes = Vec::new();
                 if let Some(l) = self.get_expr_lifetime(left)? {
                     lifetimes.push(l.0);
@@ -312,6 +315,90 @@ impl<'a> LifetimeContext<'a> {
             // TODO: listcomp, ifexpr
             _ => unimplemented!(),
         })
+    }
 
+    fn handle_assignment(
+        &mut self,
+        lhs: &Expr<Option<Type>>,
+        rhs_lifetime: Option<(Lifetime, bool)>,
+    ) -> Result<(), String> {
+        match &lhs.node {
+            ExprKind::Attribute { value, attr, .. } => {
+                let (lhs_lifetime, is_strong_update) = self.get_expr_lifetime(value)?.unwrap();
+                if let Some((lifetime, _)) = rhs_lifetime {
+                    self.lifetime_table
+                        .set_field_lifetime(
+                            lhs_lifetime,
+                            *attr,
+                            lifetime,
+                            is_strong_update,
+                            &mut self.scope_ctx,
+                        )
+                        .map_err(|_| format!("illegal field assignment in {}", lhs.location))?;
+                }
+            }
+            ExprKind::Subscript { value, slice, .. } => {
+                let (list_lifetime, _) = self.get_expr_lifetime(value)?.unwrap();
+                let elem_lifetime = if let ExprKind::Slice { lower, upper, step } = &slice.node {
+                    // compute side effects
+                    for expr in [lower, upper, step].iter().filter_map(|x| x.as_ref()) {
+                        // account for side effects when computing the slice
+                        self.get_expr_lifetime(expr)?;
+                    }
+                    // slice assignment will copy elements from rhs to lhs
+                    self.lifetime_table.get_field_lifetime(
+                        rhs_lifetime.unwrap().0,
+                        "elem".into(),
+                        &mut self.scope_ctx,
+                    )
+                } else {
+                    // must be list element, as assignment to tuple element is prohibited
+                    self.get_expr_lifetime(slice)?;
+                    rhs_lifetime.unwrap().0
+                };
+                self.lifetime_table
+                    .set_field_lifetime(
+                        list_lifetime,
+                        "elem".into(),
+                        elem_lifetime,
+                        false,
+                        &mut self.scope_ctx,
+                    )
+                    .map_err(|_| format!("illegal element assignment in {}", lhs.location))?;
+            }
+            ExprKind::Name { id, .. } => {
+                if let Some(lifetime) = rhs_lifetime {
+                    self.variable_mapping.insert(*id, lifetime);
+                }
+            }
+            ExprKind::Tuple { elts, .. } => {
+                for (i, e) in elts.iter().enumerate() {
+                    let elem_lifetime = self.lifetime_table.get_field_lifetime(
+                        rhs_lifetime.unwrap().0,
+                        format!("elem{}", i).into(),
+                        &mut self.scope_ctx,
+                    );
+                    self.handle_assignment(e, Some((elem_lifetime, false)))?;
+                }
+            }
+            _ => unreachable!(),
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    pub fn handle_statement(&mut self, stmt: &Stmt<Option<Type>>) -> Result<(), String> {
+        match &stmt.node {
+            StmtKind::Expr { value, .. } => {
+                self.get_expr_lifetime(value)?;
+            }
+            StmtKind::Assign { targets, value, .. } => {
+                let rhs_lifetime = self.get_expr_lifetime(value)?;
+                for target in targets.iter() {
+                    self.handle_assignment(target, rhs_lifetime)?;
+                }
+            }
+            _ => unimplemented!(),
+        }
+        Ok(())
     }
 }
diff --git a/nac3core/src/typecheck/type_inferencer/mod.rs b/nac3core/src/typecheck/type_inferencer/mod.rs
index 510a0f09..d865926a 100644
--- a/nac3core/src/typecheck/type_inferencer/mod.rs
+++ b/nac3core/src/typecheck/type_inferencer/mod.rs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ use nac3parser::ast::{
 };
 
 #[cfg(test)]
-mod test;
+pub(crate) mod test;
 
 #[derive(PartialEq, Eq, Hash, Copy, Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct CodeLocation {
diff --git a/nac3core/src/typecheck/type_inferencer/test.rs b/nac3core/src/typecheck/type_inferencer/test.rs
index 74930814..252dd1f5 100644
--- a/nac3core/src/typecheck/type_inferencer/test.rs
+++ b/nac3core/src/typecheck/type_inferencer/test.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use nac3parser::parser::parse_program;
 use parking_lot::RwLock;
 use test_case::test_case;
 
-struct Resolver {
+pub(crate) struct Resolver {
     id_to_type: HashMap<StrRef, Type>,
     id_to_def: HashMap<StrRef, DefinitionId>,
     class_names: HashMap<StrRef, Type>,
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ impl SymbolResolver for Resolver {
     }
 }
 
-struct TestEnvironment {
+pub(crate) struct TestEnvironment {
     pub unifier: Unifier,
     pub function_data: FunctionData,
     pub primitives: PrimitiveStore,
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ impl TestEnvironment {
         }
     }
 
-    fn new() -> TestEnvironment {
+    pub fn new() -> TestEnvironment {
         let mut unifier = Unifier::new();
         let mut identifier_mapping = HashMap::new();
         let mut top_level_defs: Vec<Arc<RwLock<TopLevelDef>>> = Vec::new();
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ impl TestEnvironment {
         }
     }
 
-    fn get_inferencer(&mut self) -> Inferencer {
+    pub fn get_inferencer(&mut self) -> Inferencer {
         Inferencer {
             top_level: &self.top_level,
             function_data: &mut self.function_data,