Herbert maintained that Dune was about the destructive nature of charismatic leaders. In this sense, Paul Atreides is an allegorical figure; he is a good man whose efforts to survive and help his followers lead to war and chaos. Arrakis is a well-balanced ecological system in which even human society plays a cooperative role. When the Fremen surrender their freedom of choice to their prophet Paul, the natural balance of the planet is upset, and the entire ecosystem comes unglued.

Herbert seemed to believe that the motives of the leader make little difference to the destructive results of his influence. If people give up their ability to make individual decisions, then disaster must follow no matter how benevolent the leader. The notion that such surrender is bad is a recurring theme in Herbert's writings. In Santaroga Barrier (1968), for instance, an entire community takes a drug that eliminates individuality...