Flawed

One of the central plot points in Flawed is the difference between the Guild’s belief that morality is absolute and Celestine’s growing understanding of morality as relative. By contrasting the rule of law with ethical decision-making, Ahern explores what it means to do the right thing.

All parties within the narrative believe their actions are justified, based on rightful, moral intentions. However, they define morality differently, which leads to the central ideological conflict. On the one hand, the Guild believes that a code of conduct enforced by a higher authority is an effective means of maintaining social compliance. Celestine explains that the Guild’s rationale for not allowing mistakes is to prevent negative consequences:

Before I was born, there was a great recession in this country [...], and the leaders were blamed. [...] They were evil people; they had destroyed families and homes, and they were to suffer. [...] As a result, [society] demanded leaders who would not learn from hindsight—leaders who would not make the mistakes in the first place. [It] was decided that any person who made any error in judgment was to be rooted out of society entirely (50-51).

On the other hand, people who support the Flawed cause, such as Celestine, Pia Wang, and Alpha Dockery, believe in accountability, redemption, and growth as a way to create social progress.