I don't strongly remember, but I think it brought the feeling that you really only have one chance to escape or get revenge, so you need to be really careful and make it count or make it loud. There's also lots of snitching and cruel group punishments. Characters that "misbehaved" often had cruel punishments like a finger cut off or eye removed or were executed.

I think it can work as a dog whistle because the underclass does violently retaliate sometimes.