What terrifies us is what might happen if you learn to use your full intelligence before you become truly civilized. Stars above! If you people find … - Bruce Coville

"Funny thing about chains," he said. "They're everywhere, once you know how to look for them. I like chains.
When Cara laughed at this, he shook his chest, causing the hundreds of golden links that hung there to sparkle in the firelight.
"There's lots of kinds of chains," he continued. "You can't see most of them, the ones that bind folks together. But people build them, link by link, Sometimes the links are weak, snap like this one did. That's another funny thing, now that I think of it. Sometimes when you mend a chain, the place where you fix it is strongest of all."
As he spoke, he held up the chain, which was whole again. Passing the amulet to Cara, he said, "Never was a chain that couldn't be broken. Sometimes it's even a good idea.

Chains...They bind us, whether we want them to or not. But a heart without chains would have nothing to hold it, might simply blow away.

They are stupid and dangerous, and all the more dangerous because they are stupid.