“I thought I would change the worlds. What young fool doesn’t? Instead, I have been swallowed by the machine of this vast empire as it rumbles inexorably on.”

Author Pierce Brown characterizes Darrow as isolated. He feels out of place, a Red living among Golds, and he has not been contacted by Sons of Ares for years. The language used—“swallowed,” “inexorably,”—shows that he feels powerless against the Society. Isolation becomes Darrow’s primary character flaw.

“This is not just my victory. Each man and woman shares in it in their own way. That is the scheme of the Society. To prosper, your superior must prosper.”

The hierarchy of the Society dictates that lowColors find glory in supporting the highColor, Gold. By tying the lowColors’s worth to that of the Golds, the ruling class hopes to prevent rebellion and to reify their own power.

“I always knew his friendship was conditional. Yet still the wound gnaws deep, carving in me a loneliness I can’t express. A loneliness that I’ve always felt among these Golds, but tricked myself into forgetting.”

Since he was born a Red, Darrow feels isolated from the Golds surrounding him, yet he strives to forget the separation. His desire to ignore his deep loneliness stems from the human need for socialization.