What does cancer represent?

Many of the islanders have cancer due to the poison seeping from the Grudder war plane factory. Overall, cancer symbolizes the ignorance and denial that many of the inhabitants share. The old, powerful white men of the factory would rather have pollution rupture the health of their island than admit to the fact that they are the cause and make a change. Money and power trump citizen health, and cancer also represents change in its hosts. Penny turns into a party girl after her diagnosis, abandoning her past self and best friend to the point where she makes a reckless decision that causes her great bodily harm. After Veronica's diagnosis, she returns to Avalon Island with a more giving attitude and a new perspective that allows her to see the absurdity of the rich, selfish lifestyle that many in the town share.