Editing Themes and Motifs (section)

=== "War takes." ===
A phrase and theme. Said by older survivors of the war as a warning for the younger generation to heed, and used as a stand-in response by many to explain various loss.

* Throughout the story, so much is revealed about how much has been lost due the war. On Mars, it is self-evident as no person or place has been left untouched. On Earth, the loses are much more suppressed: some deaths left relatively unmentioned, but more importantly the loss of the potential future. The material benefits of winning the war hide the unquantifiable losses.

* Used by [[Monarch]] as a warning against war. [[Heir-Apparent]] is too pro-war. [[Juliet]] learns the lesson and one of her flaws is to wish against war at all costs.