siffrin’s problem isn’t that he wanted to stay with them forever. it’s that he wanted and DIDN’T ASK. it’s that he was so scared to say it and be rejected that he’d rather trap them than ask them. this isn’t a story where the moral is that you need to let go when it’s time. everyone was GOING to let go! and that was the problem! the tragedy is that if siffrin had asked, if anyone had asked, they ALL WOULD’VE SAID YES!!!
yes, they need to let go — of fear. of self-consciousness. of their own preconceived notions of who they and their friends are. of their resignation to the status quo, their clinging to past trends as a way to predict the future. they need to let go of the things that hold them back so that they can hold on to the things that are actually important!
even the king's problem isn't that he wanted to keep vaugarde safe forever. it's that he didn't set his sights higher. he loved a vaugarde of living, breathing, welcoming, kind people — but he was so afraid of losing it, that he sacrificed that happiness at the alter of reducing the risk of tragedy, and that in itself is the terrible tragedy that drives the entire game.
the moral is that seeking happiness is hard, it might go wrong, it will have sad and difficult moments, but avoiding that risk means avoiding the happiness, too. the moral is that they CAN stay together, if they take the risk and do the hard work and TRY.
