Although the villagers’ hostility does not yet affect Meena personally, Meena notices that people’s hatred, directed toward people such as Deirdre, has nothing to do with the actual cause of their frustration: the construction of a new motorway. She understands that this type of hostility is fueled by feelings of powerlessness, which have to do with structural problems related to industry and employment, and
not with local people’s actions—even if locals might be the first ones to suffer.