Monarch butterflies are the Gallien family’s chosen symbol; it’s no coincidence that “monarch” means royal. Within the narrative, monarch butterflies symbolize the resilience of beauty and hope for the liberation of Empis. In the days of Gallien rule, swarms of monarchs covered the city, but after the coup, the Empirians assume all the butterflies are dead.

As Charlie first approaches Lilimar, he feels unsettled by the city’s dark and haunting presence. When a cloud of monarchs rises from the palace, however, the “darkness [breaks] apart” (321). The moment of beauty dispels his fears and renews his sense of hope. Within the walls of Lilimar, Charlie sees destroyed monarch motifs everywhere. This destruction symbolizes the Galliens’s fall and the way Flight Killer tried to stomp out all hope in the populace. Yet the continued endurance of the live monarchs indicates that he did not succeed. No manner how many monarchs Flight Killer murders, he cannot quash the Empirians’s conviction to fight for their freedom.

In Deep Maleen, the prisoners are surprised and delighted to hear about the survival of the monarchs. The knowledge that this symbol of better times endures motivates them to take up the fight against the evil that rules the city.