The Natural World and Development

A major concern in the book is the devastation of the natural world that results from human development of the land. The book's action begins when humans post a notice in the field where the rabbits live; it reads:

THIS IDEALLY SITUATED ESTATE, COMPRISING
SIX ACRES OF EXCELLENT BUILDING
LAND, IS TO BE DEVELOPED WITH HIGH
CLASS MODERN RESIDENCES BY SUTCH
AND MARTIN, LIMITED, OF NEWBURY,
BERKS.

In a harrowing chapter, one of the two survivors of the poisoning and bulldozing of the rabbits' home warren tells of the cold destruction, and the rabbits' realization that the humans killed them, as another rabbit said, "just because we were in their way. They killed us to suit themselves."

Throughout the book, the rabbits are keenly aware of humans and their disastrous effects. When they cross a road, Adams vividly describes the disgusting smells of cigarettes...