Elitism

One reoccurring theme in this novel is Elitism. Elitism is the belief that a person or group of people are better than others and deserve special treatment. Valentine and his Circle are an elitist group who feel that all Downworlders should be killed. The believe that if they kill all Downworlders, that it will leave the Earth pure for humanity. They not only feel that humans are better than any other race, but also place themselves above the rest of humanity. Valentine shows this when he admits that his plan to use the Mortal Cup to recruit an army of human children will likely kill about eighty percent of the children it is used on. He rationalizes this by saying that Shadowhunters have protected humanity from demons and their ilk for a thousand years. Now it is humanity's turn to sacrifice for the Shadowhunters.

Even the other shadowhunters...