Duality of Man

The most recurrent theme in the book is that of the duality of man—the idea that people are split between their good and evil urges. The most obvious example of this theme is Harvey Dent. Throughout the book, Dent struggles with enforcing the law without breaking the law himself. When Dent helps Batman burn down a warehouse full of Carmine "The Roman" Falcone's money, Dent is tempted to steal some of the money for himself. Dent also tells Chief Gordon that the rival gangs of Falcone and Salvatore "The Boss" Maroni are doing law enforcement's job by themselves by engaging in gang warfare. Gordon is forced to remind Dent that it is not the job of law enforcement to kill gang members but to arrest and try them. Dent is the original Holiday killer, showing that he is always capable of great evil even...