This quote highlights how fear suppresses people, making them helpless and easy to control. It suggests that fear is a destructive force that can prevent growth and progress, causing individuals to stagnate and deteriorate like rotting birch trees in marshes. The message emphasizes the importance of overcoming fear to break free from manipulation and oppression.

"This fear is what is the ruin of us all. And some dominate us; they take advantage of our fear and frighten us still more. Mark this: as long as people are afraid, they will rot like the birches in the marsh. We must grow bold; it is time!"