Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in We, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Individuality vs. Collectivism
Alienation
Fear of the Unknown
Repression of Desire
Summary
Analysis
D-503 recalls how I-330 told him to meet her the day after tomorrow—it is now that day. Before meeting with I-330, there is an explosion at the hangar. A dozen ciphers die, but D-503 is fixated on the fact that work on the Integral didn’t falter as a result of the tragedy: the workers and the machines worked on.
D-503’s fixation on the Integral’s progress over the tragic deaths of a dozen ciphers is a nod to his older, collectivist worldview: the Integral’s larger mission is more important than the individual ciphers’ deaths.
Themes
At 16:00, D-503 goes to his building and U tells him I-330 requests his presence. On her pink ticket are instructions to lower his blinds—even though I-330 won’t actually make an appearance. D-503 is distraught and wishes he had a doctor’s note so he could walk off his anguish. Instead, he is assigned to appear in Auditorium 13 for a lecture. He has trouble paying attention to the presentation.
The One State’s lectures used to interest and ground D-503 in reality, but his growing alienation prevents him from relating to the activities and ideas he once valued.
Themes
When D-503 arrives home, O-90 is waiting for him. She asks him if he received her letter. He tells her he did and agrees with what she said in it. O-90 then pleads with D-503 to give her a baby, and then she’ll go. D-503 scoffs at this request, as it will result in certain punishment at the hands of the Machine and the Benefactor. Still, O-90 insists that it is what she wants. D-503 honors her request and they have sex.
O-90’s desire to have a baby—born of the instinctual human desire to reproduce—overrides her loyalty to the One State and its rules. She is no longer as repressed as she used to be, which causes her to act on individual desires rather than honor the One State’s collectivist mission. D-503’s decision to impregnate her shows that he’s grown more willing to disobey the One State.
Themes
