"Whatever the reason, it makes me sick! All of this—the Grievers, the walls moving, the Cliff— they're just elements of a stupid test. We're being used and manipulated. […] They're throwing crazy things at us to see our response, test our will. See if we'll turn on each other." (49.22)

"Like I said, they wanted to test us, see how we'd react to what they call the Variables, and to a problem that has no solution. See if we could work together—build a community, even. Everything was provided for us, and the problem was laid out as one of the most common puzzles known to civilization—a maze." (49.19)