It was not an act of treason, nor possibly even of defiance. But it was a calculated withdrawal, from the life of the Republic, from its machinery. Whatever else was being denied them out of hate, indifference to the power of their vote, loopholes, simple ignorance, this withdrawal was their own, unpublicized, private. Since they could not have withdrawn into a vacuum {could they?}, there had to exist the separate, silent, unsuspected world.
The passage reflects on a significant yet understated decision by individuals to step back from the formal structures and processes of the Republic. This withdrawal is characterized not as betrayal or rebellion, but as a deliberate choice made in response to various societal factors such as hate and indifference towards their voting power. The nature of this retreat is personal and unacknowledged, suggesting a deep, underlying discontent with the existing system.
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