Politics

Politics play a central role in the novel, and the author uses it to demonstrate that politics is a prime motivator in American culture. Judging by the way the author portrays this, it does seem that he finds this to be a negative thing.

The first instance where we see this is after Patty is raped by Ethan Post. Together, Patty's parents decide that they should not contact the police. This is due to the fact that the Posts are political friends of Joyce. Essentially, Joyce decides not to go to the police because it may hurt her political career. This is quite different than the normal family dynamic; in most other situations, a mother would usually believe that her daughter's well being is much more important than her political career.

Another instance where a character's clear motivations are political is the actions of Walter's boss...