What are the motifs in Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy?

Clear and Present Danger takes as a premise that there are people in the world who are utterly evil. Ernesto Escobedo is one such character. He considers himself to be a man of honor, but his sense of honor is twisted. He gives a follower the "honor" of executing a traitor to the drug cartel because he feels he owes the man a favor. The execution involves the rape of the traitor's wife and daughter before his eyes; then the family members are murdered one at a time, the traitor last.