Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Holes, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fate and Destiny
Cruelty vs. Kindness
Justice
Power, Money, and Education
Man vs. Nature
Summary
Analysis
Mr. Pendanski shines the flashlight on Zero, who sits with the suitcase on his lap. Mr. Sir points his gun at Zero. He's wearing nothing but pajama pants. The Warden starts to speak, but stops and begins to back away. Two yellow-spotted lizards crawl up on the suitcase as Zero sits perfectly still. Mr. Pendanski gasps and then shines the flashlight into the hole. Stanley chokes back a scream as he realizes he's standing in a lizard nest. There are six in the hole, several of which are climbing on him. The Warden tells Mr. Pendanski that they won't have to wait long, and then they'll have a body to give "that woman" (Ms. Morengo). She says that she doesn't care what happens as long as she gets the suitcase, and recounts having to dig holes every day as a kid.
The Warden's mention of digging holes herself as a child reinforces the idea that violence and abuse are cyclical. Though the novel never says if she has children of her own, she's perpetuating this cycle of violence and hard physical labor by taking on teenage inmates. This suggests that something will need to happen to break the cycle and reintroduce kindness into Camp Green Lake, as it's fairly clear that even if the Warden has found what she's looking for, that doesn't mean she's going to stop being cruel.
Themes
