Oh my so I just got to the part where the first talks of succession are happening. I understand why Vera would turn down Ben's offer but he's right, even if I'd be in favor of something less cataclysmic as a contingency plan. Those who are oppressed never get liberation by asking nicely. It's a bit symptomatic of the idealism and faith in our systems that was much more common in the time this book was written than our own. That optimism is gone and the situation is more dire. Would Vera make the same decision today? Will she stand by that decision all the way to the end of the book?