Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose, which … sounds pretty accurate, actually. While Luke is confined in his little attic room, he's scared to do anything because he might lose everything: his family, his farm, even his life. But once the Population Police kill Jen and start working to track him down, he has nothing to lose by escaping—by becoming free. In other words, things only start getting better in Among the Hidden because they can't get any worse. Check out that head-scratcher.
Questions About Freedom and Confinement
- Who is freer, Jen or Luke? Why?
- How does Jen's obsession with freedom prevent her from being free?
- Which seems harder: hiding someone else or being hidden? Why?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Luke's parents' strict rules actually help him become free, because they lead him to discover Jen.
For Jen, freedom is more than just living out in the open; it is being recognized as a legal third child.