On the day of the election, we see Roof in a moral dilemma. For the first time, his moral conscience pricks him not to betray Marcus. But it is only a momentary impulse and vanishes almost immediately when Roof recalls the picture of iyi and the cocoa farmer harvesting his crop. Then he hits on an idea of deceiving both Marcus and Maduka. He folds the ballot paper, tears it in two at the crease and drops the first half into the box meant for Maduka and the other half into the box meant for Marcus. Thus, the writer successfully delineates how ‘money politics’ can corrupt people at all levels. It also reveals the contagious nature of an immoral attitude as the villagers who feel they “have climbed the iroko tree today and would be foolish not to take down all the firewood needed” blatantly ask for bribes.

It is Roof who is responsible for this moral degradation. The fall of Roof demonstrates the deepening level of corruption and the dimming of moral principles. Although Roof overcomes his personal dilemma on election day by tearing his ballot paper in two – one-piece for Maduka, the opponent, and one for Chief Marcus Ibe, his own employer his act illustrates the basic unreliability and political dishonesty of people working for elections. The plot of the story hinging on this man who bribes the electorate and who is bribed in turn drives home the deviant tendency of the political scene.