Adzel says of the Serendipity people:
"'They are evil.'" (p. 429)
- but van Rijn replies:
"'Maybe not evil. Maybe plain enemies, which is not necessarily the same thing...'" (ibid.)
He knows the difference and is not yet sure which of these two categories Serendipity belongs in: evil or enemies. Van Rijn is consistently realistic. How many people just assume that their own immediate enemies, opponents or antagonists are merely "evil" and distort their own understanding in the process?
Van Rijn is as ever looking for a chance to profit from the new situation but also knows that, in some situations, e.g., ideological war by a powerful enemy, survival and freedom might be the only "profits" to be had, ultimately the greatest profits of all. Meanwhile, getting "'...you and my other loyal friends off the hook...'" (p. 429) was an important end in itself, unrelated to any monetary gain.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree!
Ummm, "Of the hook" or "OFF the hook"?
Ad astra! Sean
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