The Chocolate War deals with manipulation, fear, and ethics in the 1970s in which the book is set. Throughout the novel, through the use of characters, Robert Cormier portrays both sides of the two main themes: manipulation and fear. The novel presents an understanding of the problems that happen in daily school life at Trinity and expresses the different positions of each student in the school. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Chocolate War examines how violence, authority, and speech are used to manipulate Trinity students into doing things they would rather not do. Emotions, blackmail, mental entertainment and physical discipline are some of the educational modules at Trinity High. When Jerry attempts to cut off the control of his brother Leon and the Vigils by settling on his own decisions, his peers begin to follow his example. As this undermines Trinity's power structure, Brother Leon and The Vigils, who risk losing their highest status in the school, unleash their boldest acts of control. The novel also examines how, with the right twist, something not everyone likes, like selling chocolates, can turn into the latest fever. There are students who have no problem manipulating other students with acts of violent language. “Are you perfect, Bailey? All those A's mean perfection. Is that the answer, Bailey?” (Chapter 6, Page 37). This is the kind of question that can't be answered without incriminating Bailey. This question is used to manipulate Bailey rather than engage in relevant debate. The Chocolate War takes a look at how physical, verbal and mental violence mix to create the truly unfortunate conditions of Trinity Secondary School. Throughout the novel, ferocity was used quite frequently, ferocity is a clear example of physical and mental bullying, however there are many personality deviations and verbal violence. When one of the novel's protagonists, Jerry Renault, refuses to sell chocolates for a school pledge drive, chaos ensues. The novel ends in a climate of freedom for all, of ferocity and bloodlust, from which Jerry may never recover. “It could get your attention like a cobra. Instead of fangs, he used his teacher's pointer, pointing here, there, everywhere. (Chapter 4, Page 23). In the 1970s, teachers still had the legal power to use physical violence in the classroom. Leon makes the most of this, using the pointer to keep his students in a constant state of fear which is a clear example of the manipulation taking place within the school. Morality refers to personal, cultural, and social beliefs about right and wrong. Ethics is the investigation of these belief systems. Many of the events in The Chocolate War are undoubtedly exploitative. We can easily see that Brother Leon, The Vigils and Emile are exploitative individuals in their own right. They will do anything for anyone with a specific end goal to maintain their intensity places. The book also raises some more confusing thoughts about deep quality and morality. It requires that we think about how human feelings, similar to anger, terror, and pride, can influence us to do things we deem corrupt. It makes us, as readers, think precisely about our moral obligations to ourselves and other people, and pushes us to consider our particular good systems and how they shape our identity. “He saw Brother Eugene still there in the midst of the chaos, with tears running down his cheeks.” (Chapter 11, page 58)..