At a time when hundreds of men have been put to death without trial or any sort of evidence of guilt, and when the population literally trembles with fear, animals have rights guaranteed them which men and women cannot think of expecting.
In the context of a society rife with fear and injustice, where countless individuals have been executed without due process, the situation highlights a stark contrast in treatment between humans and animals. The quote expresses the irony that while people live in constant dread of arbitrary punishment, animals' rights are more secure and respected than those of the populace. This underscores a troubling moral paradox in a totalitarian regime where human lives have little value.
Erik Larson's "In the Garden of Beasts" illustrates this grim reality in Hitler's Berlin, capturing the atmosphere of terror that enveloped the citizens. The juxtaposition of animal rights and the lack of basic human rights serves as a poignant commentary on the devaluation of human life in such oppressive circumstances, pointing to the broader implications of morality under tyranny.
