Power and Politics
In the universe of A Song Of Ice And Fire, most of the characters are trying to acquire more power by climbing up the hierarchy, be it in the Night’s watch as the Lord Commander or in the King’s Landing for the Iron Throne. Each of the characters is either directly or indirectly involved in some sort of power play, and do not shy away from hurting other is the need comes. Usually, it’s people like Varys or Illyrio who are shamed for their practices and untrustworthy ways, but characters like Daenerys has to be a part of it to try protect her subjects and be the queen she is expected to be for her legacy. It seems as unfair or unjustified the way a lot of characters are played by the ones in power but that is the point of the story, to show how politics of the ones sitting in high positions can change the lives of others.
War
The Dance with Dragons dealt with the aftermath of the war between the wildlings and the Night’s Watch and an impending war in Westeros where King’s Landing is surrounded by multiple foes, including Dorne, Iron Islands and Stannis Baratheon. Daenerys also faces a civil war in Meereen. The situation is of helplessness as the POV characters find themselves in situations where they can’t do much but want to mitigate the situation. Multiple scenarios depict the cruelty of war and how it affects the lives of different people. It also brings to light the fact that how people at the base level are played by the ones in the higher levels of the hierarchy showing that the real perpetuators of war are never affected by it.
Honour and Duty
Honour and Duty are expected of one in the world of ASOIAF for their superiors even if they don’t like them or agree with them. The implication here is not just of law but of religion. A person who is not honourable is shamed by everyone for being untrustworthy. Bowen Marsh doesn’t agree with Jon Snow on many occasions but has to listen to him out of his duty to the Lord Commander. He eventually murders him and justifies the murder as a step to protect the Watch from Snow’s wrong decisions, which they proclaim as ‘for the Watch’. This shows that a person is justified in his actions however heinous they might be, if one can proclaim them as dutiful.
Relativity of Evil
The books that make up A Song of Fire and Ice depict the human nature in its most raw forms. A part of that is the justification of one’s actions based on his idea of evil. To the people of Meereen and Slaver’s Bay, slavery and pit-fights are tradition and culture, while Daenerys sees them as inhuman practices. People often consider the other person wrong for his difference in ideas and opinions, this idea is present in every plot of the story.
