Evil

The theme of evil, and specifically the nature of evil, are explored throughout the novel. Through gradual revelations about several of the key villains in the novel, Condon implores the reader to question what it means to be evil or commit evil acts. At the beginning of the novel, Dr. Yen Lo is introduced as an individual esteemed by his colleagues and idolized by his underlings. He jokes, tells his group stories, and brings them together in a positive community. But then he brainwashes a group of men and orders them to kill practically as a sport. Eleanor, on the other hand, is shows to be conniving from the outset, but the true depths of her darkness only reach their highest point later in the novel when the reader learns that she is Raymond's operator and then the reader sees her force him to commit incest with her...