Police brutality
Throughout the novel, the incidences of police viciousness are evident. The police are committing atrocities against humanity. For instance, when the police invade the city, they shoot at people carelessly. As a result, many people lose their lives. Innocent souls like Dong-ho and several other children are victims of police brutality. The Provincial Office is full of corpses of people killed by the police. Sadly, the police kill even those who surrender during arrests. Therefore, Hang Kang highlights the harsh side of police operations, which hurt the people they should protect.
The fate of the soul
Most characters in the novel, including Dong-ho and Jin-su, question the fate of their souls after they die. Han Kang’s Human Acts novel focuses on life, death, and rebirth. The soul's fate is an important topic in the novel because characters need to know what happens after they die. The characters are certain that they will die soon because the environment in which they live is violent. In addition, Dong-ho's reflection on the soul aids him in coping with the death of his friend, Jeong-dae. Dong-ho hopes that one day he will reunite with his dead friends.
Life in prison
In the novel Human Acts, Han Kang takes readers through prison life in Gwangju penal complex in 1990 to paint a picture of pain. Prisoners go through a lot of suffering at the hands of prison warders. In the novel, one prisoner accounts for what they go through. Firstly, prisoners receive harsh beatings frequently during interrogations. Secondly, prisoners do not get adequate food and medication while in detention. Thirdly, prison warders subject prisoners to harsh living conditions because they do not have adequate beddings and other necessities to sustain them in prison. When prisoners are released from prison, they suffer from depression, which leads them to alcoholism and suicide. For instance, when Jin-su is released from prison, he commits suicide.
