The Chocolate War poses a significant question that presides throughout the entire novel: "Do I dare disturb the universe?" When Jerry Renault refuses to sell chocolates for Trinity's annual fundraiser, the secret school society called "The Vigils" and the domineering Brother Leon become involved into what turns out into an all-out "chocolate war".
Honestly, when I read the back cover of this book prior to reading it, I thought, "Are you kidding me? I have to read about some dumb school's chocolate fundraiser? So what if he doesn't want to sell chocolates?" As I read through it, I gradually picked up on themes of peer pressure, conformity and fear.

The book is a representation of good vs. evil in the world, that evil sometimes wins and the good are sometimes beaten, as Jerry is in the boxing match at the end. Brother Leon and Archie reach levels of cruelty that are quite unbelievable. Manipulation and disregard for the thoughts and feelings of others characterize these villains as they take over the school, making everyone revere, fear, or hate them with passion. Characters like Jerry, Goober and Obie recognize the evils of the Vigil, but Obie and Goober have no choice but to comply. Jerry demonstrates that pacifism is ultimately a violent act, that refusal to comply with orders from superior powers and being a martyr gets you nowhere. He sees the poster in his locker that says, "Do I dare disturb the universe?" He even observes the monotonous daily life of his father, desperately taking actions that will prevent him from getting into the same rut as his widowed father. He grieves the death of his mother, and this grief and anger motivate him to stand up to authority, even Brother Leon. The reality of tragedy hits Jerry relentlessly. Cancer beat his mother, and he himself was beaten by the collective oppression of the Vigils.
I was shocked by the very first sentence of the novel: : "They murdered him." At first, this statement seemed like it was referring to his football try-outs, how he was getting ruffed up and dirty from practice. Looking back on it at the end of the novel, I realize it could also be foreshadowing his fate at the end of the book as it applies to the Boxing match with the Vigils. I thought for sure Archie was going to draw a black marble from the box and that he'd have to take someone's place in the match. In my mind, he'd lose the match and learn lessons of action and consequence, but this doesn't happen. Archie's actions have no consequences and he is able to get away with his cruelty. He doesn't learn from his mistakes because in his sociopathic mindset, he makes no mistakes and sees no error in his ways.

The book also had a bleak outlook on society. Jerry observes the injustice of Brother Leon's treatment of students in class, like when he accused Gregory Baily of cheating, but then turned it around on the students and compared their inaction and bystander behavior to Nazi Germany, even though he, himself, perpetuates this idea more than any other character in the book. Misogyny is also extremely pervasive in the novel. The girls are basically sex objects, just ogled at and meant to be "enjoyed" by these male characters. In no way do they show even a little respect for these women or even care to get to know them as individuals.
Most disturbing of all was the ending, when Jerry wanted to convey to Goober to "play ball, to play football, to run, to make the team, to sell the chocolates, to sell whatever they wanted you to sell, to do whatever they wanted you to do" (page 248). Ultimately, he wants to convey to Goober that it's not worth your dignity to disturb the universe. Action and defiance are pointless because evil prevails at the end of the day.
This book brought up major themes and introduced an incredibly depressing perspective of the world: that evil people are unavoidable and that sometimes, it wins. Sometimes there is no happy ending and the good guys sometimes lose.