Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Six of Crows, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Greed
Friendship and Difference
Trauma, the Past, and Moving Forward
Identity, Values, and Growing Up
Summary
Analysis
Rollins studies the “kids” standing before him in his office. In addition to Kaz, Nina is there, looking like she might not survive, as well as a young Shu boy and Jesper Fahey, whose inability to stay quiet let Rollins know that Kaz was taking a crew to Fjerda. Somehow, Kaz managed to leave Ketterdam. This ended up being good, as Kaz freed Rollins from the Ice Court. Rollins had heard about Kaz, but he didn’t really know Kaz before Kaz appeared in the doorway of his cell. Kaz gave Rollins a look of hatred and said that he was doing Rollins a favor, since Rollins “[wasn’t] meant to die here.” Now, Kaz has apparently come to collect his payment.
Readers finally find out what happened between Kaz and Rollins at the Ice Court’s prison. That Rollins doesn’t know or recognize Kaz reminds readers that Rollins doesn’t care about his victims: he dehumanizes them, and this is presumably part of the reason he can so effectively take advantage of them. He sees them only for what they can do for him, not as people in their own right.
Themes
Kaz tells Rollins briefly what happened, and Rollins suggests Kaz just hand over Kuwei to Van Eck. He says he won’t start a war with Van Eck or ally with Kaz while Kaz starts a war. It’ll mean Kaz will be fighting the stadwatch, in addition to having the Kerch army and navy after him. Kaz says he doesn’t want an ally: he needs to get a quick message to the Ravkan capital, and he needs 200,000 kruge. And the money, Kaz says, isn’t a loan: Rollins owes him for his freedom. Kaz will give his shares in the Crow Club and Fifth Harbor, and if Rollins gives him an extra hundred thousand, Rollins can have a DeKappel too.
Rollins doesn’t want to get in trouble with the government, but he’s more than willing to fund Kaz getting in trouble with the government. It’s certainly no kindness that Kaz offers Rollins the stolen DeKappel, which came from Van Eck: it gets the painting out of Kaz’s hands and possibly sets up Rollins to take the fall if Van Eck ever discovers that Rollins has it.
Themes
Rollins says he understands: Kaz wants Inej back and “a bit of Van Eck’s hide.” But Kaz, in a way that gives Rollins chills, says he wants to totally erase Van Eck from existence. Rollins’s henchman counts out the money as Kaz asks if Rollins really doesn’t remember him. Rollins doesn’t, and he gets chills again when Kaz says he shouldn’t remember him—yet. Finally, the strange crew leaves, and Rollins and his henchman watch the kids go. They don’t stand a chance against Van Eck.
Here, Rollins suggests that he gave Kaz the money for his own entertainment: Kaz can’t do anything to best Van Eck, but at least his attempts will be entertaining. Still, he can’t help but recognize that Kaz is scary, which continues to hint at another showdown in the novel’s sequel. Kaz may finally get his revenge—or pay the price for his greed.
Themes
Rollins curses as he reaches for his watch: a turnip hangs from his watchchain, and his tie pin, wallet, pendant, and gold shoe buckles are also gone. He sighs that they should pray for Van Eck. Hopefully, Van Eck kills Kaz—otherwise, Rollins will have to.
Only when he realizes that Kaz has tricked him does Rollins start to see Kaz as a threat. Stealing all Rollins’s valuables highlights Kaz’s greed, and it suggests this trait of his will persist in the story going forward.
Themes
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