 Only three weeks earlier the writers had introduced a new character, Judge Silver, as the new chief judge, who proved to be more hardline and right-wing than his predecessor (and who played a very significant role in the Democracy- and Necropolis-related stories which were to follow).The story was told in the form of a letter from a wife and mother to her husband.The writer, Hester Hyman, had written the letter to explain why she had decided to sacrifice her life for the cause of democracy.