What do Chup and Gup represent?

A cursory reading would seem to suggest that Rushdie favors the Land of Gup and the light that creates its ever present stories and freedom of speech. However, Rushdie indicates that both Gup and Chup are two sides of a whole. Each must exist in balance with the other to create a median existence. This is evident in the Guppees’ own contradictory behavior; though they favor complete freedom, their own Eggheads at P2C2E House create an imbalance in light that leaves the Chupwalas in perpetual darkness against their will. This suggests that all societies have some propensity to censor others. Likewise, the Guppees risk defeat and incompetence from their inability to censor their criticisms and gossip. This speech is unproductive speech. Though Rushdie clearly opposes censorship, his novel deftly explores the balance needed in a society between the control and expression of speech.