The theme of decay is important in this complex book. At its outset, society seems to be in good shape. The people who maintain Trantor do their jobs well and usually without fuss. All Hari Seldon needs to worry about are the various duties that come with chairing the mathematics department of Streeling University. As events unfold, decay becomes more and more evident. At first, Seldon can merely suspect, based on psychohistory, that decay will be progressive. By the book's end, the decay is obvious and pervasive.

In "Cleon I," the Joranumites are able to create public unrest by disrupting various government services in different regions of the planet. People are outraged by the disruptions, threatening the government. This markedly contrasts with the attitudes in "Wanda Seldon." In this last novella, people accept severe disruptions in services.

Seldon notes that social problems that once would have inspired petitions...