How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
But then he said it's called chaal an it's poison to the mind an soul, an if anybody ever offers us any we're to say no. (1.88)
Here's our first introduction to chaal, the designer drug of choice here in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Blood Red Road. It's nasty stuff, as you might imagine. It also happens to be the thing that this entire society is built around. Yeah, as you might have guessed, that's bad news.
Quote #2
Hopetown's [...] got the Tonton to keep the scum in check. They control the place with violence an somethin called chaal. (3.149)
Hopetown is a pretty rough place—so much so that chaal is practically used as currency there. What's more, we see that the people in charge explicitly use the drug to control the masses, leading to a truly imbalanced power dynamic.
Quote #3
Chaal slows you down. Makes you think you're smart when you ain't. Too much of it an you get all hopped up, go wild. (3.151)
Okay, so chaal will make you go slow. Unless you take too much. Then it will make you go fast. And wild. And violent. The holy trinity of nastiness. P.S.A., folks: you don't want to touch this stuff if you know what's good for you.