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Quote #10
"[...] and I tell you, a mob with something it wants to do is just about as efficient as trained soldiers, but tricky. They'll knock that barricade, but then what? They'll want to do something else before they cool off." And he went on, "That's right, what you said. It is a big animal. It's different from the men in it. And it's stronger than all the men put together." (248-249)
Mac explains to Jim that mobs (or "group-men," as Doc puts it) are skittish things. While they have a power that is greater than the sum of the people in them, they are also motivated by things that can't be predicted or named. And once a mob sets into motion, it's difficult to determine when or how they'll cool off. It's a terrifying situation—and it's the flipside of organizing a group of disgruntled workers to advocate for themselves. While Mac tries to harness the energy and power that accompanies dissatisfaction, he also has to find a way to keep it directed outward, toward the "enemy."