“Emory adores Niema, but the older woman talks about her age with so little regard that it’s frequently insulting. None of the villagers will ever live half as long, and Niema’s frequent allusions to her longevity can feel cruel. It’s especially painful today, when her grandfather’s so close to death.”

Niema’s disregard for how her words affect the villagers shows that she views the villagers as less than people. Despite this, Emory’s ability to see Niema’s thoughtlessness points to the emotional evolution of the simulacrums. This is the first clue that there is something different about the villagers.

“Two friends argued on a stairwell in Nairobi about a promotion. In a jealous rage, one shoved the other, who fell down the steps and broke her neck. The killer had just enough time to wonder if he could get away with it before the fog came pouring out of the ground. He died a second later, along with everybody he’d ever known and most of the people he hadn’t. There hasn’t been another murder since. I’ve made sure of it.”

Abi’s description of the last murder alludes to the novel’s title. Since Niema sacrifices herself for the island, the last murder before the end of the world is the encounter between the two people in Nairobi. While this allegory sets up the mystery that ensues, this quote reveals how powerful Abi’s reach has been in controlling people’s morality because she has not allowed another murder to happen.

“The elders are our last link to the old world […] They have knowledge it would take us hundreds of years to reclaim. Without them, we’d be starting again from scratch. Do you really believe any of our lives are equal to theirs?”

Seth’s words highlight the complete trust that the village have in the elders. Seth does not want to question the status quo because he believes that their survival depends on being subservient to the elders. His character arc represents the theme of The Nature of Sacrifice.