" You don't seem to believe that the death penalty is morally right, yet here you are lining up the witnesses, designing the protocol" page 102

Sister Helen is talking to Paul Phelps, the head of corrections. She realizes that "nobody killed this man" Everybody who was involved killed him somehow, though no one feels personal responsibility. Phelps expresses distaste in the death penalty but justifies it because it is part of his job description. He is a man strong in his convictions but unable to so anything about it. He is a social worker who sees little good in killing the guilty but still he does it. He designed the Louisiana method to include as little personal responsibility as possible. Executioners are anonymous and paid in a spoken deal. Each person can blame a chain of command and look to their superiors for answers. Unless we look to ourselves rather than others, the world will continue to be a place of irresponsibility and death.