“But living in a cage is no kind of life, even for a mouse.”
Phinneus was mad at Sai for how they lived, making no contact with other colonies. He felt like they were in a prison doing the same duties and seeing the same faces every day. Phinneus was worried for the children who were kept all by themselves and could not meet other people. Human beings are socially inclined and therefore cannot thrive alone. At some point, humans crave a social life and freedom. They needed to be let loose to explore and connect with the people around them. Without the needed human interactions, one would be depressed and bored. Human connections translate to growth and learning of new things. Human beings thrive better when left to follow their paths rather than being forced to live a certain way.
“Did you know that lions without a pride don’t live long?”
Bell was telling Kai about the note that Amelie from the French settlement had written to her about needing their help. When Sai declined, all the adults were furious because the French colony had helped them a lot when the virus attacked them. Just like lions are social beings who live communally so are human beings. Bell urged Sai to reconsider since they cannot manage on their own, they needed to make friends to thrive socially. Without friends, any human connection, and help, they would not have recovered from the virus. There is nobody that can make it all on their own. It becomes easier in life when surrounded by supportive people. They needed to socialize with the other colonies to develop and even get help when in need.
"The scariest thing in the world wasn’t a monster or an alien chasing you. It wasn’t killer slime mold or zombie plague. It was being alone."
Bell was alone in the dark after leaving Trey stuck on the train. He was going to the nearest settlement to ask for their help and was very scared given he has always been around people. Bell realized at that moment that one of the things that would scare him the most was being alone. Being alone is scary because you know that nobody is coming to save you. It is the worst feeling one could ever feel since human beings are wired in a way to need others and be around them. Knowing that you cannot get any support from anyone is heart-wrenching. It is established that knowing that you have people to count on makes one feel secure. It gives you a sense of peace and belonging. Having people to lean on in times of trouble translates to love for most people.
"It’s terribly hard to lose someone you love.”
Jules and Bell were reminiscing about the good times they had with Phinneus while he was still alive. Bell was having a hard time coping with the demise of Phinneus. Coping with the loss of a loved one has always been a difficult thing to do for everyone. They say that it gets easier with time but that is not always the case. It stings every time and the only thing you can do is probably remember them in every way you can. Some people become depressed while others commit suicide after struggling with grief for so long. The death of someone close always affects people the most, it leaves you with some emptiness and loneliness that you cannot explain. You feel alone and nothing else makes sense. Life stops making sense and you just want to wallow in your sadness and pretend like it’s all a dream. It has never been easy to lose a loved one.
