Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, once said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”. This means that being free is more than not being physically locked up, but to go beyond the physical. It is about living life in a way that helps others achieve the freedom that they deserve. In the novel, Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Luke Garner is a third child and because of the Population Law he is illegal and doesn’t have the freedom that his brothers have. Similarly, in “Two Sisters Two Americas”, by Brooke Ross, Veronica Saravia came to the US without permission, making her an illegal immigrant, yet her younger sister, who was born …show more content…
If Population Police were to figure out that Luke was a third child the consequences would be tremendous. Either he would be killed, or his family would be charged 5 million dollars. Both Luke and his family would be highly affected if any of this happened. The penalty for having, “ A shadow child is five million dollars or execution, depending on the mood of the judge”(Haddix 61). Likewise, If someone were to find out that Veronica was undocumented, she would be deported. This happened to her parents, but they refused to leave, and her family cannot risk this happening again. Veronica and her family’s, “Greatest fear of all is being split up if one or more of them are deported”(Ross 2). Both Veronica and Luke would be affected if anything like this happened to them. Their lives are already so unbearably hard. For Luke, he would feel horrible that it was his fault for his family’s suffering if he is lucky enough to not be killed. In Veronica’s situation, either her and her parents would be separated from her younger sister, or she would be separated from her whole family. Not only would they be impacted, but their families would be too. Veronica’s sister could be separated from her whole family and left alone in the real world, at a young age. Luke’s family would either have to live with the thought that they weren’t able to protect their son and let him die in their hands or have them have to work for every single hour of the day and get no money because they have to make up the 5 million dollars they have to pay. Overall, if Luke and Veronica were found, not only would they have to face huge consequences, but their families would also be negatively