Xenocide

Encircling Milagre is a fence comprised of a forcefield that delivers excruciating pain to anyone who touches it. The fence was intended to prevent the humans from interfering with the Pequeninos, but its function changes after the Pequeninos and humans start communicating openly. The fence is also the cause of Miro’s brain damage, as he became stuck inside the field while fighting for the freedom to communicate with the Pequeninos.

The fence is also a symbol of the division between the Pequeninos and the Lusitanian humans. Although the two species work together in the lab, the general citizens of Milagre are not comfortable with the alien species—“The human colonists of Lusitania wanted it that way. They wanted the boundary between human and pequenino to remain unbreached” (76). This hesitance to accept the unfamiliar species demonstrates the concept that rejection of otherness is deeply engrained in human nature. They view the fence as a symbol of protection that keeps them safe from the Pequeninos and their descolada virus.

The fence also serves as a symbol of entrapment, particularly after the hive queen comes to the aid of the Pequeninos. The citizens of the village are told to stay within the fence, and the hive queen’s drones stand guard.