Derek Foxe is the ultimate self-promoter in a society that places a premium on Machiavellian behavior. His pretence of being gay to help his career prospects is so diligently rendered that he goes into acting mode even before leaving the sanctuary of his tryst with Beatrice-Joanna at her apartment. He explains away the immoral activities of the government by arguing that the achievement of a desired end justifies any means. He embraces his promotion to head of the Population Police as a desirable career move, never questioning the brutality that he must foster as part of the job. He keeps his innocent brother in prison to protect his own position, and he displays no remorse over stealing Tristram's wife. His loyalty to her and to the twins carries with it the suggestion of ownership, as if he values them as commodities or material goods. When the ministry in which he works changes its title from "Infertility" to "Fertility," Derek flows effortlessly into doing work that directly contradicts what he previously has done. Full of glib argumentation and a masterful liar, he is a ruthless opportunist, willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. A perfect fit in the corrupt government for which he works, Derek is a man without conscience, which by definition means that he is capable of evil.
