The Individual and the Institution- Raw

Not all institutions have a negative impact on individuals. The Farm encourages change through encouraging individuals to consider their actions and the consequences of them. Sam tries to treat the inmates as individuals and believes that "if guys want to stay, they will". He does not believe there is any benefit in loss of individuality, and believes that improving a persons self image is more successful. Punishment in The Farm is powerful and effective in that it is communal punishment, which affects not only the individual, but also the whole group. Each person is therefore encouraged to think about others. In this way, Sam encourages freedom of choice but also freedom to choose consequence, "if you wan to break the rules, you have to face the consequences." Thus, Sam chooses to use rehabilitation rather than punishment as a form of change.
Throughout the text, Monk uses the theme of power, and its abuse, through his various characters. Power plays an important aspect for individuals in an institution. For those that have power, it gives them a sense of security, confidence, respect and authority. Tyson represents the issue of power at The Farm, along with his "lackeys". They offer another source of power, albeit an illegitimate source of power, in that they are powerful through sheer force and aggression. The presence of such thugs seems to suggest to Brett that reform institutions do not work. Even Frog perceives the failure of the rehabilitation program for individuals like Tyson, when he says of the "I don’t think its