“I was aware that Bruno Lacombe was against civilization, an ‘anti-civver’ in activist slang.”

Bruno’s anti-civilization ideological orientation is a key facet of his characterization and one of his most important views. He believes that contemporary society is not salvageable, and he has spent the last 25 years living on a remote property, out of the public eye. Although still active in his role as mentor for Le Moulin, he does not take part in organized society and sees no one apart from his children.

“It’s the same whether you’re in a relationship with a man or pretending to be in one. They want you to listen when they tell you about their precious youth.”

This passage shows the dry, sarcastic wit that characterizes Sadie. She is intelligent and an effective spy, but she is also given to witty and not entirely kind observations about the people around her. These kinds of comments speak to Sadie’s sense of humor but also her isolation. Her human interactions are limited to observation and to relationships that are ultimately duplicitous: Lucien thinks that the two are a couple, but Sadie is merely using him to help her case. This tendency in Sadie forms part of the novel’s exploration of The Ethics of Espionage: She uses others to such a degree that she remains permanently isolated.