How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Now, about burying hraka," said Chervil, "you can't be too strict. If the General finds any hraka in the fields he'll stuff your tail down your throat. They always try to dodge burying, though. They want to be natural, the anti-social little beasts. They just don't realize that everyone's good depends on everyone's cooperation." (35.4)
Even Hazel might say that the common good requires cooperation. But according to Chervil, the Efrafan political system requires the officers to force the regular rabbits into doing unnatural things. So the politics of Efrafa are opposed to the natural habits of rabbits.
Quote #5
"In Efrafa," said Hyzenthlay, "if a rabbit gave advice and the advice wasn't accepted, he immediately forgot it and so did everyone else. Blackavar thought what Hazel decided; and whether it turned out later to be right or wrong was all the same. His own advice had never been given."
"I can believe that," said Bigwig. "Efrafa! Ants led by a dog!" (40.59-60)
Does this remind anyone else of 1984? There's something similar about Efrafa and the totalitarian government of 1984, in how they both try to affect people's memory. Also, notice how Bigwig's response is to note how unrabbit-like the Efrafans are (they're ants, dogs, etc.). Here's a nutshell lesson: totalitarian politics lead to unnatural situations. Also known as, don't be totalitarian.
Quote #6
By this time there were captains in the Owsla who said privately to each other that the General was in the grip of an obsession. Some way would have to be found of getting him to drop it before it went too far. At the Council meeting the next evening it was suggested that the patrol should be discontinued in two days' time. Woundwort, snarling, told them to wait and see. An argument began, behind which he sensed more opposition than he had ever encountered before. (43.8)
Though Woundwort is the tyrant of Efrafa (ruling with the help of the Owsla and Owslafa that try to be more like him), he does face some challenges, like Blackavar's escape attempt and Hazel's raid. We've seen how he dealt with rabbits who don't follow the rules (with Blackavar being beaten up and tortured and put on display). But Hazel's raid makes Woundwort seem fallible and weak—and since he's trained all of these Owsla rabbits to respect only power, that means trouble for him.