Aelin, Lysandra, and Aedion engage in morally grey actions to survive, which makes them worry that others will judge them. Often facing versions of the trolley problem—should you kill one to save many—Aelin in particular must often consider whether to do evil for the greater good.

The conflict between Aelin and Chaol comes from this ethical dilemma. Aelin has been forced to kill many people to survive. In contrast, Chaol has always had the luxury of keeping to a moral code of honor, loyalty, and integrity. Because he’s never had to break these tenets, Chaol sees Aelin as a murderer; as the rightful heir of Terrasen, she is an enemy of Adarlan and a threat to Dorian. When she returns to Rifthold, Chaol accuses her of wielding her magic as a weapon of mass destruction: “Will you hold all of Rifthold hostage the way you did Doranelle? Burn anyone who doesn’t agree with you? Or will you just incinerate our kingdom from spite?” (53). However, when Chaol abandons the castle to save himself while leaving Dorian trapped in the King of Adarlan’s Wyrdstone collar, he is forced to acknowledge that idealistic honor codes must sometimes be put aside.