Fear: All of the prisoners are ruled by fear. Life is lived in a constant state of emergency. Death is a permanent factor in prison life. Many of those who are imprisoned are not afraid to continue killing, even knowing the consequences of their actions. Many are living out life sentences in jail and don’t have anything to lose by killing. So without friends and comrades to watch over you while serving your term fear will be the overriding presence felt in prison.
Alliance: Throughout the entire chapter there are reminders that to survive in the jail system in America it is helpful to be connected to people who will have your back at all times. With numbers there is saftey and security. Often times peace was established when groups became allies and the number of enemies are decreased.
Distrust: For Monster along with the rest of those who were members of gangs, the law was to only trust those who were in their gang. Any one not in their gang was not to be trusted and the standard was kill or be killed. Not only were those of different sets not trusted but the authorities as well. Those put in power over the convicts often misused this authority and enforced practices that degraded the prisoners with the intent of tearing them down mentally. Not knowing who was good or bad causes anyone caught in the penal system to distrust anyone that was worthy of being deemed a threat.