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Law 9
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The 48 Laws of Power, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power, Morality, and Pragmatism
Emotion vs. Action
The Pitfalls of Greed
History and Human Nature
Summary
Analysis
Avoid the unhappy and unlucky. Greene contends that misery can spread, just like a disease, with other people drawing you into their misfortune. One person who failed to follow this law was King Ludwig of Bavaria, who found himself entranced by a courtesan who went by Lola Montez. Although Ludwig’s people loved him at first, they began to turn against him over the lavish gifts he gave to Lola, and eventually she left him. Lola continued to have whirlwind romances with powerful men, leading each of them to their downfall, before she finally became a nun at age 41 and died two years later. Greene writes that Lola had an “infecting character” that drove people mad and that it would have been better to avoid her.
Building on his earlier laws about reputation, Greene demonstrates how a person’s standing in the world is determined by the company they keep. This law may seem superstitious at first, implying that bad luck can spread like a disease. But as Greene goes on, it becomes clear that he is writing in more concrete terms about the role social and professional connections play in power. Lola Montez, for example, may have seemed like a person with extraordinarily bad luck, but Greene explores how the people who chose to associate with her in some ways brought about their own misfortune.
Active
Themes
When you have power, it’s important to associate with the right people. “Infectors” are the wrong type of people, attracting misery not just to themselves but to everyone around them. By contrast, having good people around you can help you improve yourself, as Napoleon grew from keeping around his respected minister Talleyrand. This law has no exceptions—nothing good comes of associating with the unlucky.
Active
Themes
