The Chrysalids - Plausible “The Chrysalids” by John Wyndham is a story that is both entertaining and plausible. It forces the reader to think about human nature and our attitude towards the world around us, which we often take for granted. The setting of “Chrysalids” takes place several hundred years after a nuclear war. What remains of civilization are a few small towns here and there all over the world. The population is, in the eyes of its leaders, what the “true picture” seems to be supposed to be. If you don't reflect reality, you are sent to live on the margins. Many people and animals are born with birth defects caused by nuclear radioactivity still present from the nuclear destruction of previous years. The population considered to be the “real picture” is cruel to “monsters” or “mutants”. Some characters in the novel are also very bigoted, like David's father. He thinks he is the king of the castle and can't be wrong. If he says something, it should happen like when he had an argument with the inspector about the giant horses or when he burned the family cat because it didn't have a tail, e.g. example "It is your moral duty to issue a writ against these so-called horses!!" Various people, including David's father, all agree that deviants come from the devil and should be castrated or expelled from society. Another thing is that people are forced to accept the laws and if they don't, they are also expelled from society where they either get killed or spend the rest of their miserable lives in the swamps of the marginal people. Their attitude towards the world is okay, I guess. They don't really use much of the world's resources in Waknuk or the other small towns around there. They don't need to wonder how much longer. these materials will last, for all they use at the moment are trees, of which they seem to have plenty, and water which they get from wells and rivers. There they farm or hunt, cook and bake things over open fires, I suppose.