How does the author use symbolism in the novel, A Torch Against the Night?

The author uses masks as a symbol of the soldiers losing their individual identities to become agents of the Empire’s power. Masks are elite Empire soldiers trained at Blackclifff Academy. Their name derives from the silver masks they must wear, covering their faces from their forehead to around their mouth and jaw area. The masks not only hide the soldiers’ emotions, but in the Empire’s view aim to eradicate these emotions entirely in order to turn Masks into more effective soldiers.