societal-conflict

The narrator and Sonny, disguised in a less conspicuous mechanical chassis, investigate leads on the terrorist splice known as Krazy Kat by visiting the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Cultivars (SPCC). The encounter with SPCC director Peej Jane Grahame-Ballard reveals deep ideological conflicts about the ethical treatment and legal status of splices, highlighting tensions between enforcement of laws treating splices as property and advocacy for their sentience and rights. The chapter explores the moral ambiguity of the splice's actions and the societal structures that created him.