How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
It was all right for Human to take pride in his father's many matings, but as far as the wives were concerned, they chose fathers solely on the basis of what was good for the tribe. The tribe and the individual—they were the only entities the wives respected. (17.263)
The piggies are essentially eugenicists—they engage in planned mating in the interest of promoting good genes from the most valuable individuals. It's interesting that none of the humans seem to find this disturbing. Eugenics was an important part of Nazi thinking, is related closely to racism, and is one of the more unquestionably evil ideologies that humans have managed to inflict on each other. A race of determined eugenicists you'd think would at least merit some ethical discussion in the novel, but it doesn't.