Vosch’s primary goal throughout the novel is to destroy any hope that still exists within humanity. Although his reasons for doing so are unknown until the final novel in the series, his repeated use of psychological warfare makes it clear that he does not just want to kill humans; he wants to destroy their will to live. Each of the characters, in turn, faces an existential crisis as they consider whether their continued fight is futile, a fact that references a primary theme in The 5th Wave. As the world is being destroyed around them, what value is there in continuing to fight and resist their imminent deaths at the hands of the Others? The answer to that question, as both Cassie and Ringer discover throughout the novel, is hope.

Regardless of how difficult their lives get, each of the characters continues to hope that there is some way to overcome the Others, some way to kill Vosch, and some way to save what remains of humanity. Cassie comes to understand that this hope is fundamental to the project of survival: “It’s all connected. The Others understood that, understood it better than most of us. No hope without faith, no faith without hope, no love without trust, no trust without love. Remove one and the entire human house of cards collapses” (56). The Others want to crush all hope among humanity, because once hope is lost, resistance becomes impossible. At the start of the novel, this hope is symbolized by the caves, which Ringer and Ben repeatedly insist will provide them with a society and a place to begin to rebuild. Although this never comes to fruition, the fantasy of a safe place and a fresh start keeps them going. Meanwhile, the characters learn that they can rely on themselves and each other to fight back against the Others.

Ringer’s change in the novel, both physically and emotionally, encapsulates the value of continuing to hope. When she is in the hospital, she repeatedly considers attacking Vosch, Claire, or Razor, believing that she may have a chance to kill them before she herself is killed. However, each time, she stops herself, instead believing that there is a chance to get out of the hospital in some other way. Because of this hope, Ringer is given the 12th System, an enhancement to her body that allows her to become superhuman. When the novel ends, her physical body has become stronger, giving her the tools to fight back against the Others. At the same time, she leaves the base having learned the value of love, a fact that will allow her to continue to hope, return to Cassie, Ben, and the others, and ultimately continue to stage a resistance to Vosch.

Similar to Ringer, Cassie relies on hope throughout the novel to continue to fight. At first, she remains in the hotel, fighting despair and believing that Evan will fulfill his promise to come back to her. Then, after they escape the hotel, she waits in the forest for Evan, hoping that he has survived the explosion and will return to them. Similarly, she repeatedly sees the impact of what Vosch is doing to humanity: He is using small children as bombs, manipulating Grace and Evan to kill survivors, and continuing to build his army of child soldiers for the 5th Wave. Despite the seeming futility of action, Cassie remains steadfast in her resistance and her hope that they will find a way to destroy the Others. At the novel’s end, when Evan rejoins the group and Ringer escapes, there is hope that the third novel in the series will allow them to finally put their hope into action.