In Chapter 10 a danger is present to the Group. One of their members, Anne, has decided to marry a norm. Anne has decided to marry Alan Ervin. Anne�s marriage poses the threat of discovery to the Group. Anne justified her actions, saying that she loves Alan. The Group reacts poorly to this and demands to know how she could spend her life with someone who could not share her most intimate thoughts. She says that it�s not fair because there are only three males in the Group and five girls. Should there be two that should never marry? Michael argues that there must be others beyond their range. The Group worries that an accumulation of small slips, or one larger one will give Anne and the Group away to Alan, who would gladly turn them all in.
In this chapter, the reader learns that David and Rosalind are in love and have made love before. The situation between the Morton�s and the Strorm�s is far too tense to ever agree to let the two marry. Even if Rosalind should become pregnant with David�s child, a shot-gun wedding would still be an unlikely possibility.
David goes to Axel for advice about what do with the situation of Anne. Axel proposed that the Group sacrifice Anne (kill her) in order to save the rest of them. David objected to this by saying that he and the others are too close to Anne to kill her. Killing her would be losing a part of themselves.
Anne begins to shut out the others from her thoughts, and eventually one could almost believe that she had renounced her difference and succeeded in becoming a norm. Then, one Sunday night, Alan was found dead outside his home with an arrow in his throat.
Anne believes that the Group had murdered Alan. Alan�s death threatens the safety of the Group because Anne, believing what she does about the innocence of the Group, retaliates by reporting them, even Petra, to the Inspector in a suicide note. She had commited suicide by hanging herself. Fortunately, Rachel is first given this letter and burns it, therefore removing the threat of discovery. Michael ends the chapter by saying, �One of us has been found not strong enough��
Chapter 11 - "The Education of Petra�
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