How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
WICKED had done all this to him. WICKED had taken his life and those of his friends and were using them for whatever purposes they deemed necessary. (1.10)
Need a reminder that WICKED is a manipulative organization? Well, Thomas reminds us all the time that they're the reasons why his life stinks.
Quote #2
Could it be that the very name they'd used for their organization had been one of the Variables from the beginning? A word with obvious menace, yet an entity they were told was good? (7.2)
An interesting thing to think about: the word "wicked" means "evil." So, on the surface, WICKED would pretty much seem to be evil. But maybe that's a trick, and as some of the kids eventually realize, WICKED may actually be good. Oooh, ooh, but maybe that's what WICKED wants the kids to think. Ugh, now that's how you mess with someone's brain.
Quote #3
"But the worst part is over. We can't change the past, can't take back what has happened to you and your friends. But wouldn't it be a waste to not complete the blueprint at this point?" (10.8)
Promising the kids that "the worst part is over" is another way that WICKED manipulates them. They promise them things that aren't really going to come true, or they tell half-truths, which we all know are lies.