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Chapter 49
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Unwind, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Inequality, Injustice, and the Law
Anger, Violence, and Radicalization
Activism, Compassion, and Atonement
Morality and Perspective
Summary
Analysis
The Juvey-cops lead Risa and Connor into the room with Roland, who looks extremely smug. The cop tells Connor that Roland offered them 400 Unwinds for his freedom, but Risa insists that Roland is lying. The cop says he knows Roland is telling the truth—they’ve known about the Admiral’s operation for a year but have looked the other way, since it keeps Unwinds off the streets. The other cop says that if the Admiral dies, they may have to go raid the Graveyard. Connor asks if they can leave, in this case, but the cop says that Connor is a criminal and Risa is an accomplice. Roland is shocked to hear that Connor is the Akron AWOL, and even more shocked when the cop says that Roland can’t leave either.
This is another opportunity to think of the implications of what the Juvey-cop is saying. If it’s financially worth it for them to look the other way when they lose out on more than 100 Unwinds every year, this suggests that the system of harvest camps is already saturated with unwanted kids. This again suggests that the Bill of Life was ineffective in solving the issues of abortion or of organ donation, while also reminding readers that economics and cruelty drive this system.
Themes
