Chapter 107: Arthur and Colin Debate Ethics of War
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
While driving toward Basingstoke, Arthur asks Colin why he never sleeps. Colin describes his insomnia, his medication regimen, and his polyamorous lifestyle. Arthur quotes Chesterton to defend the value of monogamy, and Colin dismisses Arthur's celibacy as imaginary. Arthur retorts that King Sorrow is itself a weaponized act of imagination—a bad dream with teeth. He reveals that King Sorrow weakens after Easter and suggests this is the moment to strike.
The conversation turns to the 2003 Iraq war. Colin admits that King Sorrow was responsible for much of the destruction in Baghdad, but he uses game theory to justify the invasion as a deterrent. Arthur questions whether Colin's actions in Iraq are killing terrorists or creating them. Colin explains his ongoing arrangement with NSA agent Paul Follett: immunity and intelligence in exchange for access to King Sorrow's services. Arthur wonders how Donna can accept this, given her brother's murder. Colin insists the deal gives them control and, eventually, freedom from King Sorrow.
Key Events
- Colin explains his unusual sleep cycle and medication use.
- Arthur quotes Chesterton to challenge Colin's view of marriage.
- Arthur reveals that King Sorrow hibernates after Easter, opening a window for action.
- The two discuss the 2003 invasion of Baghdad, where King Sorrow caused widespread destruction.
- Arthur accuses Colin of possibly creating more terrorists than he kills.
- Colin describes his agreement with Paul Follett: immunity and a "Shopping List" of targets.
- Arthur questions Donna's acceptance of the deal, given her brother's death.
- Colin argues the arrangement gives them leverage and a path to ending King Sorrow's influence.
Character Development
Arthur shows a deepening moral conscience, haunted by the civilian deaths in Iraq that he enabled. His retreat to a ruined abbey, where he prayed with ghosts, reveals his guilt and his search for spiritual redemption. He remains committed to destroying King Sorrow but wrestles with the collateral damage of using such a creature.
Colin is pragmatic and ruthless, viewing war through the lens of game theory and deterrence. He is comfortable with his polyamorous lifestyle and his deal with the NSA, seeing control as the ultimate prize. His lack of remorse for the Iraqi dead shows his willingness to accept any cost for perceived strategic advantage.
Donna is not present but looms large; her tolerance of Colin's deal with Follett is explained as a desire for control over those who killed her brother. Colin believes she has found empowerment in shaping political appointments.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Weaponized Imagination: Arthur describes King Sorrow as a "bad dream with teeth," linking the monster to the power of shared belief and the Surrealist's Glass that reveals hidden truths.
- The Cost of Power: The deal with Follett trades freedom for influence; Colin's bargain with the NSA mirrors the Faustian pact of using King Sorrow.
- Guilt and Absolution: Arthur's ghostly monks symbolize the dead he cannot forget; his abbey retreat represents a futile attempt at penance.
- Deterrence vs. Morality: Colin's game theory justification for the Iraq invasion clashes with Arthur's focus on civilian harm, raising questions about ends and means.
- The Long Dark: King Sorrow's hibernation after Easter provides a rare opportunity for action, emphasizing his vulnerability and the need for timing.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a moral and philosophical core of the novel. It reveals how deeply King Sorrow is entangled with real-world geopolitical violence, tying the supernatural horror to Arthur and Colin's personal culpability. The conversation lays out the strategic window for confronting the monster and exposes the ethical compromises that have sustained the Get-Even Gang's power. It also deepens Arthur's anguish and sets up the possibility of a decisive break from Colin's pragmatism.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does Arthur bring up Chesterton's quote about marriage in response to Colin's polyamory?
Arthur uses the quote to argue that monogamy derives value from its uniqueness, not from its prevalence. He implicitly critiques Colin's view that marriage is outdated, suggesting that commitment and fidelity are not lesser for being singular—just as the imagination is not lesser for being internal. -
What does Arthur's experience at the ruined abbey reveal about his character?
Arthur's retreat to pray with ghosts shows his deep guilt over the Iraqi deaths and his need for spiritual absolution. It reveals that he lives in a heightened reality where symbols and metaphors (like the Surrealist's Glass) are real, and that he is haunted by the past in a way Colin is not. -
How does Colin justify his arrangement with Paul Follett and the use of King Sorrow in Iraq?
Colin justifies it through game theory and deterrence: the United States must appear willing to overreact to prevent future attacks. He claims the arithmetic of war favors saving American lives by killing Iraqi combatants, regardless of civilian casualties. He also values the control the arrangement gives him over key appointments, seeing it as a necessary trade to eventually free the group from King Sorrow.