Abuse of Power
Kadiye is the priest of the village. Moreover, he is the man who offers sacrifices to the Serpent of the Swamp in order to keep it satiated; this action keeps the villagers' land from being consumed so that they can grow food to survive. But, we learn that he is a man who is fat per the Beggar who hears in his voice that he is well fed compared to the rest of the villagers. He has been stealing the offerings of the people, their sacrifices to the Serpent of the Swamp and consuming them for himself rather than offering them up to the deity. And this betrayal is seen clearly by Igwezu who believes his wife leaving him and his money being taken is due to the priests wicked consummation of his worthy sacrifices.
Wealth and Poverty
People leave the village in order to find wealth in the city. This is why Igwezu has left. Moreover, his twin brother has stayed away because he has made a fortune. Soyinka has crafted a play that speaks to the morality of making money. Igwezu has stayed true to his word by sending his father a comfortable chair for his clients to sit in while he shaves them. He did this weeks after he arrived in the city. However, Igwezu's brother has been gone for nearly a decade without a word back to his family. His mother believes he has died, when in fact he has become rich beyond any of their wildest imaginations. But the truth of his monetary wealth is that it has corrupted his soul. Not only has he taken his brother's wife, but he has demanded his brother's inheritance (their father's land as collateral for his debt). His brother has gained the whole world, and it is not enough to fill his newly acquired city appetite.
The Meek
The Beggar is a blind man that has traveled a great distance from a drought-ridden land in order to find a piece of land that is solely his own to work and grow crops upon. He desires to turn what is dead into something that is alive, even saying that he has healing in his hands. Also, although he is blind, his other sense are heightened. He knows that the priest is a consuming food that he did not grow, he hears those who are coming, he can navigate the darkness and no longer does he wish to beg but to earn his keep (symbolized when he doesn't accept the priests offering). The Beggar is a symbol for the classes that reside even in great poverty, and he represents the will of a human being to claim their life as their own creation. That no man shall determine his position in life, that is up to him. This is an idea that many, if not all of these characters do not have.
