Significance of Computer Viruses

In "Children of the New World," computer viruses are a symbol for greed. This symbolism is seen in two places: the narrator whose system is corrupted and the computer hackers who make the viruses. The narrator is greedy for more pleasure. He has found happiness online with his wife. They have two children who they love very much, but this feeling of happiness is not enough to keep them in their home. Instead, they feel the need to venture into Dark City as a way to greedily find more pleasure. The hackers in this story are greedy as well. The narrator describes them as being, “the real monsters" saying that,” . . . the hackers and scammers [are] faceless men and women who destroy lives for the joy of testing a virus, and who sacrificed our children to make a buck" (95). These hackers are greedy for information and money. They desire things from as many users as they can get.