Discuss fatalism. The General commits many crimes, but most of the people seem to accept him. Can a nation as described in the novel ever become a better place, or is the nation destined to be a backward dictatorship?

Discuss greed. The General wants power, but he seems to be careful about their greed, with the exception of fixing the national lottery. Is the General put into and maintained in power more to satisfy the greed of foreign powers, to pay interest on the national debt?

The General's quality of seeking domination is seen in his keeping a huge harem of concubines. Is this just an exaggeration of the tendency of many men in power to have many mistresses?

Discuss dictatorship. In many ways, the General's dictatorship does not disturb the common people, except for some specific crimes. Can a dictatorship have an everyday...