The further into the book the reader gets, the more we can see the intelligence of the rats. We follow their progress thru the mazes and the picture tests at NIMH, then after they escape. But I feel that the greatest intelligence is shown when Nicodemus and the other rats begin to see that stealing is wrong.
" But why? Why move? We've got a better place to live right now. We've got all the food we want. We've got electricity, and lights, and running water. I can't understand why everybody talks about changing things."
"Because everything we have is stolen."
"That's silly. Is it stealing when farmers take milk from cows, or eggs from chickens? They're just smarter than the cows and the chickens, that's all. Well, people are our cows. If we're smart enough, why shouldn't we get food from them?"
"It's not the same. Farmers feed the cows and chickens and take care of them. We don't do anything for what we take. Besides, if we keep it up, we're sure to be found out."
I think this quote shows how much more Nicodemus has matured and grown above what he was taught at NIMH, while Jenner still thinks like a rat. Nicodemus took what he had been taught and applied it not only to escaping and times of crisis, but used it to overall improve his way of life. If he and his fellow NIMH rats continue to have the morals of basic, normal rats, then they have not evolved at all. What makes us intelligent is how we use the knowledge we gain, not necessarily how much information we can cram into our brains. I hope that children reading this book can see that message and understand how important it is to apply knowledge to bettering yourself and not just besting your neighbor.
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