Achebe shows the ravages of war throughout his story. His characters live in a post-civil war period, where order and peace have yet to be reestablished. What is left are ordinary people struggling to survive in a country where social and economic infrastructure has been destroyed. Homeless miners living outside the Coal Corporation scavenge for food, and others like the officer and thieves become corrupt to survive. The Iwegbu family maintains their honesty and dedication to the future of Nigeria. All of Achebe’s characters have been shaped by colonization, decolonization, and civil war.

Achebe reveals the failure to reestablish a viable judicial and police system. The result is the rise of criminal acts among civilians and military personnel alike. Without effective police and internal security, people are left to take care of themselves, as seen when no one come to help the Iwegbu family. A weak police and judicial system increases the prevalence of petty crimes and other criminal activity. The imposition of colonial law on Igbo legal practices and then post-colonial discord make it difficult to establish and maintain order.

The repeated proverb “Nothing puzzles God” suggests an unflinching willingness to surrender to the mystery of fate.