“‘You’re finally ready,’ he says. ‘You’re ready to fight.’

Shock courses through me. ‘Of course I am.’”

This dialogue between Juliette and Warner at the beginning of the novel establishes one of Juliette’s defining characteristics—determination to defeat The Reestablishment—a determination that does not waver over the course of the novel. Warner’s framing of her as “finally” ready suggests that he has long viewed Juliette as capable of this fight. Warner’s support of and confidence in her will provide the basis for their growing romantic relationship. By contrast, Juliette’s assertion that she is “of course” ready undermines her portrayal in the previous novel (as a reluctant rebel), foreshadowing an emerging version of Juliette who will need to reckon with her past.

“I never stopped to consider that someone else might have it worse than I do.”

Juliette’s epiphany after hearing about the pain that Warner’s mother suffers reorients her understanding of her past and sets the trajectory for her character arc. In connecting to someone else’s suffering, she begins to redefine herself, not as a victim who cannot do anything in response to the injustices leveled against her, but as a survivor who has the power to fight back.

“I’ve never claimed to be right, or good, or even justified in my actions. The simple truth is that I do not care. I have been forced to do terrible things in my life, love, and I am seeking neither your forgiveness nor your approval.”

Warner’s assessment of his own morality positions him as someone who makes no excuses for his past, someone Juliette can trust. This understanding that someone can be forced by circumstances to do terrible things without becoming a terrible person (within the novel’s moral framework) points to the novel’s exploration of the