The progression from fanaticism to cynicism over the arc of Guzman Bento's unified
Costaguana presages the same arc for the material interests, which begin with
ardent desires of reform and end the book devoid of fire, continuing on with almost
automatic greed in the face of popular discontent. Certainly the progression is
true of Charles Gould himself. Taken together, we can glimpse the life-cycle of
the unifying dream-ideal in general: inspiring devotion at the beginning, failing
(inevitably) in its promise, then persisting for a while in a state of cynical
carelessness, at which point it is ripe for challenge by the next ideal. Note
that the fanatical stage is described as "blind," continuing the theme
that cynicism is the more clear-sighted approach to the world.