Rebellion
Rebellion is at the forefront of this book. The Sons of Ares are a terrorist group of Reds who try to recruit Darrow into their ranks. They use the death of his wife as a campaign to rally forces. They also deploy Darrow to infiltrate he Gold’s and kill off the leading members of the group.
Injustice
Injustice is present throughout Darrow’s life. Having been born into the Red caste, he is never given a fair opportunity to make his mark on the world. But the greatest injustice is when he witnesses the death of his wife, who supposedly committed treason against the tyrannical government. Her pledge to “live for the dream that my children will be born free” is what drives him to break this oppressive system and imagine a better world.
Social status
Darrow is a member of the Red class, the lowest possible class on Mars. He is forced to mine Helium-3 till the ends of his days, whilst the elite Gold class continue to rule over the lower classes. The clear caste divide between he different groups results in frustration and anger, and eventually transcends to rebellion against an unfair system.