I see only isolation. The elder Ibarra finds himself cut off from the rest of the community when Father Dámaso, his town’s priest, turns against him, and these events ultimately lead to his death, illustrating the profound consequences of this sort of isolation. Finally, the character of Tasio, who is perceived to be a madman, isolates himself from the rest of the San Diego community. While his isolation allows Tasio to pursue his free-thinking ideas, it also limits the impact he can have on the struggle for Philippine freedom—Tasio ultimately dies alone on the threshold of his lonely home, a sharp contrast to Elías’s heroic death for the country.