* Early on, the book states one of the troubling flaws of democracy: people who enjoy power for its own sake, or love the limelight of public attention, are those most likely (but not necessarily most suited) to end up in charge of any vote-oriented system. It states this in four ways (ending by summarizing the summary of the summary: '[[BrokenAesop People are a problem]].') Much further on, we discover that the Galactic government [[TakeAThirdOption found a way around the problem]] that is, if not flawless, at least free of the ''usual'' difficulties: appoint somebody crazy enough to be TheManBehindTheMan.
--> '''Ruler of the Universe''' ''(to [[FriendToAllLivingThings his cat]]):'' When the men come to ask me questions, kitty, do you think they are singing songs to you? Perhaps I merely ''think'' they are asking me questions, and they actually ''are'' singing songs to you. ''({{Beat}})'' Perhaps I'd like another whiskey. Yes, that seems more likely.