Allegiant
Chapter Thirty-One
by Roth, VeronicaTobias, seeking escape from the judgmental atmosphere of the dormitory, retreats to the control room to observe the city through surveillance screens. He watches the factionless moving through Erudite headquarters, their routines marked by old habits and new alliances. His attention is drawn to a screen showing Marcus, his estranged father, waiting outside the Hancock building. The tension escalates as Johanna Reyes arrives, refusing Marcus’s handshake and confronting him with cold disdain. Tobias, along with Bureau employees, becomes a silent observer of their exchange, sensing the weight of unspoken history between them.
Johanna directly challenges Marcus about the abuse Tobias endured, citing Candor’s truth serum revelations and her own intuition. She dismisses Marcus’s attempts to deflect, recognizing the patterns of violence in his behavior. Tobias, overwhelmed by shame and anger, watches as his father feigns confusion, revealing his ability to compartmentalize his actions. The confrontation exposes Marcus’s manipulative nature, as he seamlessly shifts the conversation to his political agenda when cornered. Tobias grapples with the unsettling possibility that his father genuinely believes his own lies about “discipline.”
Marcus proposes an alliance with Johanna to overthrow Evelyn and the factionless, arguing that disarming her would restore the faction system’s former peace. Johanna, though wary, listens as Marcus outlines his plan, revealing his opportunistic nature. Tobias, still reeling from the earlier confrontation, observes the interaction with a mix of detachment and bitterness. The camera zooms in, emphasizing the stark contrast between Marcus’s calculated demeanor and Johanna’s guarded resolve. The scene underscores the cyclical nature of power struggles and the personal scars they leave behind.
The chapter closes with Tobias wrestling with his emotions, the storm inside him mirroring the turmoil of the city. Marcus’s ability to evade accountability and pivot to political maneuvering highlights his toxicity, while Johanna’s empathy for Tobias’s suffering adds depth to her character. The surveillance footage becomes a metaphor for Tobias’s fractured relationship with his father—observed but unresolved. The chapter masterfully intertwines personal trauma with broader societal conflict, leaving readers to ponder the cost of truth and the elusive nature of justice.
FAQs
1. What internal conflict does Tobias experience in this chapter, and how does it manifest in his actions?
Answer:
Tobias is grappling with feelings of shame and isolation after his past abuse has been publicly revealed. The chapter shows him avoiding the dormitory where he feels judged (“the staring eyes and unspoken questions”) and drawn to watching the city surveillance as an escape from his current reality. His physical reactions—curving his shoulders inward and feeling his face grow hot when Marcus’s abuse is mentioned—demonstrate how deeply this trauma affects him. This conflict between wanting to hide and needing to confront his past manifests in his compulsive observation of Marcus’s interaction with Johanna.2. How does Johanna Reyes demonstrate her perceptiveness about abuse dynamics in her confrontation with Marcus?
Answer:
Johanna shows acute understanding of abuse patterns through both her words and actions. She refuses Marcus’s handshake (rejecting his facade of normalcy) and states “we recognize our own,” indicating survivors can identify abusers through behavioral tells. She references observing Tobias’s and Natalie’s behaviors as evidence, showing she interprets subtle trauma responses. Her closing her eyes while speaking suggests personal experience with abuse, later reinforced when Tobias speculates about her own history. Johanna’s confrontation reveals how abuse survivors develop sharp observational skills to detect danger and deception.3. Analyze Marcus’s reaction when confronted about his abuse. What does this reveal about his psychology?
Answer:
Marcus displays compartmentalization and denial when confronted. He initially feigns confusion (“I don’t understand”) and attempts to reframe abuse as “discipline,” showing his ability to construct alternate realities. His swift subject change demonstrates how he separates his public persona from private actions. Tobias’s observation that Marcus might “believe his own lies” suggests pathological self-deception. The contrast between Marcus’s calm manipulation here and his violent private behavior reveals a calculating personality that maintains control through cognitive separation of identity facets—a key trait of abusive individuals.4. What strategic purpose does Marcus’s meeting with Johanna serve in the larger political conflict?
Answer:
Marcus aims to recruit Johanna as an ally against Evelyn’s factionless regime. He proposes disarming Evelyn’s forces to weaken her power structure (“If we take those weapons away…”). This mirrors real-world coup strategies of targeting weapons depots first. His appeal to restoring faction peace targets Johanna’s Allegiant leadership role and nostalgia for the old system. The scene reveals Marcus positioning himself as an alternative leader by exploiting dissatisfaction with Evelyn’s rule, while concealing his own abusive nature—a pattern of using political movements for personal gain.5. How does the surveillance technology function as both a literal and metaphorical device in this chapter?
Answer:
Literally, the Bureau’s surveillance system allows Tobias to observe Marcus remotely through city cameras, creating physical distance while maintaining visual access. Metaphorically, it represents Tobias’s psychological need to examine his trauma from a detached perspective. The zoomed-in camera angles parallel Tobias’s intense focus on his father’s behavior, while the control room setting reflects his desire to regain agency over past events. The technology enables the chapter’s central confrontation to occur through mediated observation rather than direct interaction, mirroring how trauma survivors often process events indirectly before facing them directly.
Quotes
1. “I feel like I need to see what’s happening inside the city. Like I need to remember that there is a world outside this one, where I am not hated.”
This opening reflection from Tobias reveals his emotional isolation and desire to escape the judgment he faces after recent events. It sets the tone for his vulnerable state of mind throughout the chapter.
2. “I thought you contacted me because you know I’m still the leader of the Allegiant, and you want an ally… but I think our friendship is over.”
Johanna’s confrontation with Marcus exposes both political tensions and personal revelations. This marks a turning point where Marcus’s hidden abuses begin to surface publicly through Johanna’s perceptive challenge.
3. “We recognize our own.”
Johanna’s powerful statement about survivors of abuse recognizing each other’s trauma patterns. This brief but devastating line reveals her personal understanding of violence while exposing Marcus’s true nature.
4. “I see in him a man who divides himself into compartments and can switch between them on command. One of those compartments was reserved only for my mother and me.”
Tobias’s psychological insight into his father’s manipulative personality structure. This analysis reveals the deep scars of abuse while explaining Marcus’s ability to maintain a false public persona.
5. “Evelyn controls the city because she controls the weapons. If we take those weapons away, she won’t have nearly as much power, and she can be challenged.”
Marcus’s strategic proposal shifts the focus to political maneuvering, showing how he pivots from personal confrontation to power plays. This represents the chapter’s transition from emotional revelations to political conspiracy.