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“Victory is not assured. Victory may be in the portents, but it must be urged there by violence, by suffering, by martyrs, by blood. Victory is wrought by ingenuity, persistence, and sacrifice. Victory is a game of inches, of historical contingencies where everything goes right because they have made it go right.”

This quote appears in the novel's Epilogue as Victoire escapes England and looks toward the future. She reflects on all she has learned about victory and revolutions. She has come to believe that even well-meaning people cannot achieve lasting change through rhetoric alone, ultimately rejecting Anthony's stance on exclusively non-violent protest. She acknowledges that the arduous struggle for justice and progress demands violence and sacrifice. However, earlier scenes indicate that Victoire has a complicated relationship with violence, often calling Robin out on allowing his vengeance to guide his actions. A nuanced and implicit reading of the quote therefore suggests that Victoire recognizes it is not violence in general that advances justice, but a particular form—one driven not by revenge or malice, but by an unwavering commitment to change. Victoire's realization also ties back to Griffin's theory on the changeability of history and the fluidity of the future. Victory, then, is not synonymous with violence; while violence may be a necessary component of revolution, it is not measured by the scale of destruction, but by one’s ability to take a stand and alter the course of history.

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