Octavia E. Butler draws a line in the sand. Yes, it's a matter of perspectives and nobody is all good or all bad (Rufus, after all, is just a "man of his time"), and, in her portrayal of the events, one can appreciate the humanity of individuals piercing through the darkness of a rotten system; But her voice is univocal and uncompromising when she exposes the lie at the root of the relationship between "masters" and "slaves". Feelings of love and empathy can only exist so long as Rufus gets what he wants from Alice or Dana; Bare that and you get sheer force and oppression.