The Goulds represent the combination of materialism and altruism that keeps progress
going, and the chief is on the side of progress. But the chief also has a subtly
amoral streak to him, as we have seen, and Mitchell's phrase unwittingly hints
that he cared as little for the Goulds as for anything else. One is tempted
to think that he consented to the engine run simply because it was another instance
of sending someone away from Sulaco!