How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Do you think we enjoy all this? You think we enjoy watching you suffer?" (2.8)
Just because the people from WICKED might not enjoy watching the kids suffer, that doesn't make it any more ethical for them to put the kids through the Trials.
Quote #2
"It's a very old axiom, but do you believe the end can justify the means? When there's no choice left?" (2.26)
Psh, okay, Machiavelli. Remember, this quote comes from a guy who preached for princes to kill their own people for the good of the republic. Janson really can't sound any more evil than in this quote.
Quote #3
As he watched their nemesis twitch, he was almost ashamed for feeling no guilt. Almost. (12.21)
When Thomas shoots Janson with a Launcher, he doesn't feel any guilt for the pain he causes him. Despite our love for Thomas, this is still a pretty immoral thing to feel. Yeah, maybe it's not exactly his fault, but still, it's a slippery slope.
Quote #4
"I watched as that kid died. In his last few seconds there was pure terror in his eyes. You can't do that. You can't do that to a person." (20.46)
Oh, but WICKED did do that to Chuck. Thomas's pain here reveals how traumatizing it was for him to watch his best friend die—and how purely unethical it was for WICKED to have Chuck killed.
Quote #5
"I don't think there is a right or wrong anymore... Only horrible and not-quite-so-horrible." (22.25)
Refer to our "Why Should I Care?" section, folks. The choice between right and wrong doesn't seem to apply to Thomas and his friends anymore—they've just got a choice between wrong and more wrong. These situations are very real, and can be the absolute worst.
Quote #6
"I heard that one of the Psychs designed the interaction to be a Variable not just for you and the Gladers who witnessed it, but... but also for Chuck during his last few moments." (24.7)
Now that's just pure evil. Need to find an example of the most unethical Variable? Here it is.
Quote #7
Those who had built the palaces had wanted to give the infected one last shot at a decent life before the end. (36.2)
Is it more ethical to let the Cranks run around and infect innocent people or to put them in a place where they're all faced with the horror of what is to come? The people who built the palaces may have had good intentions, but the morality of the situation certainly does come into question.
Quote #8
"He's risked his life just because he believes that things should be made right in the world." (50.32)
Hmm, this is said about Vince, the leader of the Right Arm. Though he might seem like a good guy, he does end up destroying WICKED's headquarters. We're not psychologists or anything, but that doesn't seem like the nicest thing to do.
Quote #9
"Kill me, you shuck coward. Prove you can do the right thing. Put me out of my misery." (55.45)
One of the hardest events to read in the book is this one, when Newt pleads with Thomas to kill him. It turns out that the more ethical thing to do is to kill Newt, but boy, this is the hardest ethical issue Thomas has to face in probably the entire series.