Men Of Darkness

"Un-Man."

When one of Naysmith's captors threatens him with prefrontal lobotomy, he thinks:

"Yes, this is the enemy. These are the men of darkness who in other days sent heretics to burning, or fed the furnaces of Belsen, or stuffed the rockets with radioactive death. Now they're opening skulls and slashing brains across." (XI, p. 80)

But, earlier, Naysmith had thought exactly this about his own superior, Fourre:

"Such a man, thought Naysmith, would in earlier days have stood behind the stake and lash of an Inquisition, would have marched at Cromwell's side and carried out the Irish massacres, would have helped set up world-wide Communism - a sternly religious man, for all his mordant atheism, a living sword which needed a war." (V, p. 40)

So what is the difference? Well, one difference is that, according to Naysmith, Fourre would have done such things in earlier days. He is not doing them now. Naysmith adds:

"Thank God he's on our side!" (ibid.)

Fourre's aims are world unity and peace, not continued division and war, and his means are not as reprehensible as those of his enemies.

Physically, light and darkness are both good. We sleep in darkness. Metaphorically, we ask to be led from darkness to light.