Corruption is the root cause of all the conflict in the story. The casino is built on a foundation of corruption. The tribal leadership is complicit, openly admitting their complicity when firing Constable Gritt. Even Junior Mason and his brother have succumbed to the corruption. Their initial objection to the casino was on moral grounds—that it would promote drug and alcohol use, encourage a lack of initiative, and invite crime. They have been proven correct. The tribe has been seduced even to the point of covering up Hugo’s murder on their land. However, Junior and Wilton later acknowledge that the benefits may outweigh the drawbacks. Their moral stance has been eroded by the genuine benefits of the money the tribe can use for healthcare and education.

Dubose openly and shamelessly describes himself as having been corrupt virtually from birth. His life has been built on acquiring money by illegal means. The justice system has been corrupted as well. Dubose characterizes Claudia McDover as innocent at the outset but easily turned to crime. She acknowledges, however, that her own motives were corrupt from the beginning; she went to law school seeking a way to retaliate against her ex-husband for taking so much from her in their divorce.