Illness
Both Day and June struggle with illness over the course of Prodigy: June needs to be sent to the Colonies to receive care, and Day is eventually diagnosed with a terminal disease. Illness represents how certain aspects of the rebellion are out of Day and June’s control, because no matter how much they may plan battles and invasions, there is still the potential to be taken down by something unpredictable.
Secrets
June goes to work undercover in the Republic, and initially hides her true allegiance from Anden and those closest to him. Tess has romantic feelings for Day, but she hides them from him so as not to complicate their relationship. The image of secrets represents how the characters withhold information from each other for the greater good, even when they may want to share it.
Poverty
Day grew up in poverty and reflects back on those experiences, including experiences with hunger, as he moves through Prodigy. When he and June go to the Colonies, they see the dilapidated buildings where poor citizens are forced to live, and watch how law enforcement doesn’t care what happens to those citizens. These images of poverty represent how suffering exists in every society, regardless of how positively that society may try to portray itself. Poverty cannot be escaped from entirely; it follows the people that it affects.
Aircraft
The rebels travel by plane and helicopter throughout Prodigy, and through this, aircraft comes to represent the rebellion and the constant flight that the rebels are forced to undertake: they are constantly on the run. When Kaede is gunned down in her plane, however, aircraft also begins to represent the sacrifices that the rebels make, because what they want to accomplish requires incredible sacrifice.
