The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is essentially about the abuse of power by the powerful and how those who do nothing provide the source of that power. Power used in this sentence refers to someone who has too much of control over people and activities. Abuse is using something wrongfully or for a bad purpose. This statement is somewhat true as the book is basically based around power and the abuse of it. There are some cases where those who do nothing provide the source of that power but this is not true in all cases.
             Archie Costello is Jerry Renaults (the main character) nemesis. Archie is the head/leader of a powerful secret organisation called "The Vigils".
             1. Cormier writes: "Not that it mattered. Not while Archie held that power. He would conquer all, even the black box"
             Archie doesn't care what people say about him as long as he has the power.
             The Vigils practically run the school and nothing is ever said about them.
             2. Cormier writes: "Emile never fooled around with Archie. In fact, Archie was one of the few people in the world Emile respected. Maybe even feared. Archie and The Vigils."
             This shows the real power of The Vigils, as Emile was one of the physically strongest boys in the school and he still feared Archie and The Vigils. The Vigils abuse their power by giving out tasks or "assignments" as they are called. These assignments are thought up by Archie and given to fellow classmates. They are usually cleverly engineered and cruel to people carrying them out. The Vigils usually pick the boys that would be least likely to do the task, but because of their power no one ever says no. The Vigils pick a shy boy by the name of Goober, his assignment is to unscrew everything in the classroom so the next day everything falls apart. The power used here is abused and makes someone look like a fool.
             Brother Leon who is now relieving the sick principal. The boys of ...