The Corruption of Power

There are people who have power and who try to use that for good, but several of the characters of this novel have been corrupted by the power they have over other people. One of the main examples of this theme is seen in the action of the government officials, including Chief Ellena. Ellena knows that she is ultimately under the control of EcoPan, but she is pushing EcoPan's rules as far as she can. One of EcoPan's rules is that people have to have the free will, leaving them the ability to choose for themselves. When Ellena is operating on Rowan after Pearl gave Rowan drugs, she says that she is technically still leaving the citizens with free will, but plan to manipulate their memories and personalities so that the government can control them more easily. She makes it clear that she...