“I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life. But I wanted it to use the kind of characters we’ve all met in real life,”
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The soldiers too. You can be spared the horrors or having to compete at the cost of losing your humanity and becoming a soulless automaton. One step out of line and you're also disposable.