What is the theme in Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o?

Related to the theme of the people's alienation from their land is Ngugi's critique of capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of producing wealth are privately owned. The novel denounces such a system that has created unequal classes of rich and poor by dramatizing its effects on the people of Ilmorog. The capitalists in the novel—including Kimeria, Chui, Mzigo—are seen as ruthless men who are unconcerned with the misery that their greed creates.