Friendship
One of the core ideas of Little Brother is friendship. It iso friendship that ultimately allows Marcus to overthrow the abusive government, and what pushes him to do many of the things that he does. From the beginning of the novel, Marcus is with his friends: Van, Jolu, and Darryl. He is with them when the terrorist attack happens, he is with them when he is captured and interrogated by the Department of Homeland Security, and he is with all of them but Darryl when they are released from their questioning. It is with some of these friends that he begins the Xnet, and it is with the help of these friends that he hatches some of his most brilliant plans.
The Xnet is another example of this theme. When Marcus starts it, he feels like any and all users are his friend. But, as it grows, Marcus begins to lose this feeling. His desire and need for having true, trustworthy friends that he knows concretely drive him to hosting the keysharing party, where he creates his web of trust, and where he meets one of his most important friends: his girlfriend, Ange. In a more general sense, though, almost everything that Marcus did in the novel is because of friendship, and, more specifically, because of one friend in particular: Darryl. In the beginning, Marcus and his three initial friends are taken by the DHS for questioning, and, after several days, only Marcus, Van, and Jolu are released, leaving Marcus to believe that Darryl is either dead or still in captivity. Immediately after he is released, Marcus vows to avenge Darryl, and it is because of this that he is so driven to take down the DHS. He wants to avenge Darryl. In the end, though, Darryl is revealed to be alive, another example of friendship, and what it can do.
Power
Power, and who has it, plays an enormous role in Little Brother. One important issue that the book does is make the reader think about who really has power, regardless of what the laws, media, or general public say. In this story, after the terrorist attack happens, the DHS essentially takes control of a city, invading everyone's privacy "for the sake of making the city a safer place." In doing this, the DHS violates the constitutional rights of many citizens.
Within the theme of power, there is an underlying message that if you keep your identity a secret, you have the power to make change. In the book, the DHS in the main power in the city of San Bernadino, California during this time frame. The DHS does not make its leaders publicly known, and has no face. They are just a looming organization. This faceless organization changes the lives of many people living in the city. Their anonymity and their making change fit this rule. On Xnet, everybody has the option to be anonymous. In the book, it is only these anonymous Xnetters that are seen fighting back against the DHS and making change, upsetting the way that the DHS is intrusively going around things. This too follows this rule. But the ultimate example of the fact that anonymity equates to the power to make change is Marcus himself. In the book, Marcus starts the Xnet and, as it grows, comes across as the leader of the army of rebels, going under the name of "M1k3y." While he is going by this faux name, Marcus has the power to make thousands upon thousands of people do things that he wants them to, and through them, he has the power to take down the DHS. Consolidating all of these ideas, a main underlying message of Little Brother is that privacy equates to power, and that those in power must be closely monitored and kept in line.
The Pros and Cons of Technology
On the one hand, the book portrays technology and its advancement as a good thing. It is using technology that Marcus is able to gain enough power and ultimately take down the DHS. Apart from the events of the book, there is an overall sense that technology is a good think. Throughout the course of the book, there are a number of complex technological things that are explained and used, most of which Marcus says are beneficial to the users. The book is also seen through the eyes of a technology lover.
On the other side of this argument, though, is the Orwellian-feeling statement that technology is bad. It is using technology that the DHS is able to invade the privacy of virtually every resident of the city where the novel takes place. There are also a number of illegal things that Marcus explains how to do, only possible with technology. This novel offers very relevant commentary because almost all of the technology in the novel exists in our modern world, and could full well be put to use the way it is in Little Brother.
