Power and Corruption in Joe Abercrombie’s The Devils

The Thematic Claim

In The Devils, Joe Abercrombie argues that power corrupts every institution—secular and religious—and that those who seek or hold authority inevitably resort to magic, betrayal, and exploitation to keep it. Yet the novel complicates this claim by showing that even corrupt instruments can, under the right circumstances, serve ends that might be called good. The story follows a thief turned empress, a hypocritical monk, a necromancer, a werewolf, a vampire, and an elf, all bound to the Church and thrown into a deadly power struggle for the Serpent Throne of Troy.

Part One: Religious Hypocrisy and the Thirteenth Chapel

The first major illustration of corruption appears in Chapter 3, “The Thirteenth Virtue”. Brother Eduardo Diaz, a monk who has inflated his clerical reputation, expects an audience with the Pope but is instead taken to Cardinal Zizka. She reveals the secret Chapel of the Holy Expediency—a thirteenth chapel where the Church openly uses morally questionable methods, including devils and black magic. When Diaz protests that he is merely a bureaucrat, Zizka answers: “To fight devils, one must be prepared to use devils.” She then appoints him vicar, cynically framing the appointment as a chance to “do good.”

Diaz’s mother forced him into the Church to spare his family embarrassment, not out of piety. His ambition and hypocrisy are established from the opening chapter, where he tries to bribe a driver and prays to Saint Beatrix only after his own schemes fail. The Church itself is shown as a venal institution: prostitutes and beggars crowd the Holy City, and even nuns are described as needing money “perhaps a bit more.” Cardinal Zizka embodies the pragmatic, unprincipled face of religious power—she admits she and Mother Beckert “despise each other” because they represent opposite approaches (sea vs. rock), yet both serve a system that sacrifices morality for control.

Part Two: Dangerous Bargains and the Limits of Power

The theme deepens in Chapter 43, “My Greed Is a Famine”. Balthazar, a necromancer bound by the Pope’s magical red line on his wrist, summons the demon Shaxep, Duke of Beneath, to break his shackles. The summoning is a desperate act of corruption—Balthazar is willing to trade his soul to escape slavery to hypocritical masters. Yet even Shaxep admits she cannot break the Papal Binding: “Power is a cage,” she says. This moment reveals a crucial contradiction: the forces that seem most powerful—demons, magic—are themselves constrained by rules and limits. The Church’s binding, a symbol of its corrupt control, proves stronger than a duke of hell.

The scene also underscores the novel’s satirical tone. Shaxep complains about having to give her “greed is a famine” speech, and Balthazar’s theatrical desperation is undercut by her mundane refusal. Later, in Chapter 71, “All Bad Things”, Balthazar is caged alongside Baron Rikard and Sunny, vowing to find a way out via Lady Severa’s secret. His corruption is cyclical: he seeks power to escape one master, only to become entangled with another.

Part Three: Political Manipulation and the Price of a Throne

The third critical plot thread is Alex’s transformation from street thief to Empress. In Chapter 69, “Deep Pockets”, Cardinal Zizka meets Alex on the Serpent Throne and openly admits she initially supported Duke Michael, a “snake,” because he was predictable. Zizka tells Alex: “When we face the inevitable it behoves us … to make the best of it.” The negotiation is a masterclass in corrupt pragmatism: Zizka refuses to release the devils to Alex, insisting they must be contained. She frames every demand as unavoidable. Alex, realizing she has no leverage, agrees to reunite the Eastern and Western Churches, but with a final warning: “It’s going to fucking cost you.”

This scene shows that both sides are compromised. Alex was a thief who lies and steals; Zizka is a cardinal who attempted murder. Yet they make a practical alliance. Earlier, in Chapter 27, “Greed”, Alex muses on what an Empress needs to know, and Vigga gives a grim philosophy: “clutch with both hands at any flicker of warmth that can be clawed from the uncaring darkness of existence.” The entire political struggle is built on exploitation—of people, of magic, of the schism itself.

Complexity and Contradiction

Abercrombie refuses to paint a simple picture. The “devils” of the congregation—Vigga the werewolf, Balthazar the necromancer, Baron Rikard the vampire, Sunny the elf—are dangerous and corrupt, yet they repeatedly save Alex and Diaz. In Chapter 71, Alex asks Diaz whether saints or devils saved her. He suggests that “perhaps the werewolf, and the necromancer, and the cursed knight, and even the enemy of God … are the tools Saint Beatrix chose.” This destabilizing idea—that divine will might work through corrupt instruments—challenges the reader’s assumptions about good and evil.

Similarly, Cardinal Zizka and Jakob of Thorn embody the conflict between pragmatism and idealism. In Chapter 71, Zizka accuses Jakob of being an “incurable romantic” and warns, “You would not want me as your enemy.” Yet Jakob’s refusal to abandon his principles, even under a curse that prevents him from dying, makes him the moral center. The novel ends with Chapter 72, “Saint Tabitha’s Day”, introducing Mother Beckert, a character who despises hypocrisy and views herself as a rock against Zizka’s sea. This sets up a future conflict that may either purify or further corrupt the Church.

Symbols of Power and Corruption

While the provided evidence does not detail all symbols, a few emerge. The Papal Binding (red line on the wrist) is the most direct: it physically enslaves the congregation to the Pope’s will. Balthazar’s failed attempt to break it shows that even demonic power cannot overthrow institutional control. The Split Coin Pendant (mentioned in the internal links list) likely represents divided loyalties—Alex’s dual identity as thief and empress. The Pillar of Troy symbolizes the ancient, crumbling authority that everyone is fighting over. And Saint Natalia’s Flame appears in Chapter 71 as a “flickering pinprick” in the evening, a fragile light amid the darkness of corruption.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Cardinal Zizka justify using devils to fight devils? What does this reveal about the Church’s moral position?
   Zizka argues that to win a war against merciless enemies, one must sometimes use the enemy’s weapons. This reveals that the Church prioritizes survival and control over moral purity, treating ethical boundaries as negotiable.

2. In what way is power described as a “cage” in the novel? Provide an example.
   Both Shaxep and Balthazar experience power as a cage. Shaxep says directly, “Power is a cage,” and Balthazar is trapped by his own ambition, unable to break the Pope’s binding despite summoning a demon. Even the demon is bound by rules.

3. Compare Alex’s and Zizka’s approaches to negotiation in Chapter 69. Who is more corrupt?
   Alex is honest about her desires and uses blunt language; Zizka employs subtle framing, claiming decisions “make themselves.” Both are pragmatic, but Zizka’s hypocrisy and willingness to manipulate make her the more corrupt figure.

4. What role does hypocrisy play in the religious institutions of the Holy City?
   Hypocrisy is central: the Church preaches virtue while running a secret chapel for expedient evil, nuns run breweries for money, and the Pope is a ten-year-old figurehead. Mother Beckert calls hypocrisy “the worst dishonesty.”

5. How does the novel complicate the idea that corrupt tools always produce corrupt results?
   Father Diaz suggests that even devils may be tools chosen by a saint. The devils save Alex repeatedly, and Diaz himself, a hypocrite, ends up acting selflessly. The novel implies that intent and outcome are not always determined by the purity of the actor.