How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
It was inevitable that Babinich was going to be found guilty and inevitable that he was going to die. The system didn't allow for deviation or admissions of fallibility. (3.21.9)
Leo has seen enough trials to know how this one will end. If someone goes to court, then they're guilty—no exceptions. To do otherwise would be considered a grave affront to the Soviet political system, as it implies that the government is not as infallible as it claims. And if you keep making grave affronts, well, you might end up at your own trial.
Quote #5
Quite by chance he'd found a second undesirable: a suspect he could call murderer without upsetting the social theory. (3.26.2)
General Nesterov is better than most, but even he fails to achieve real justice. Crimes can be blamed on mentally ill kids or gay men—easy scapegoats whose communities have already been forced to the bottom rungs of society. It's sad, but this is all too common in real life, too.
Quote #6
In the pursuit of justice he'd unleashed terror. In the pursuit of a killer, one hundred and fifty men would lose their lives. (3.26.12)
Well, that didn't turn out as planned. For the first time in his life, Leo is actually fighting for justice—it's a cruel irony that this noble quest leads to something so heartbreaking. We're sure that Leo feels the emotional weight of it, too.