One of the laments throughout the story is that humans are not as intelligent as they believe—or, rather, that intelligence does not guarantee wisdom. The highly-educated scientists possess the ability to act intelligently, but they also show an unwillingness to learn from their mistakes. The novel uses artificial intelligence to highlight the unsustainability of this refusal; once the swarm begins to learn from its own mistakes, it rapidly begins to outsmart its human prey.

Jack’s colleagues comfort themselves that they have the advantage because they are self-aware, but the novel explores the idea that to learn and adapt is itself an expression of self-awareness. The nanobots symbolize the existential danger technology presents to humanity if the program becomes sophisticated enough that its self-determined goals clash with those of its creators.

Jack and Julia's three children—Nicole, Eric, and Amanda—offer Crichton a way to explore issues of ethics and politics in the domestic sphere. At the opening of the novel, the children are immediately presented as a source of tension between Jack and Julia. They each find themselves possessive of the kids, as well as of the domain of the house, with conflicting ideas of parenting, including when to reward or discipline and what constitutes inappropriate behavior.