the process. An enraged Selver attacks Davidson, who nearly kills him before Lyubov rescues Selver and sets him free against orders. In contrast to Davidson, Selver is depicted as a highly sensitive and intuitive individual. After he tells his story to the other Athsheans, they begin to see him as a "sha'ab" or god, who interprets his own experiences and dreams to mean that the Terrans must be killed and forced off the planet. Raj Lyubov Raj Lyubov is the anthropologist in the colony, a scholar who holds the honorary rank of "captain". He is depicted as being from an Indian heritage. Selver is initially a servant in the central camp; Lyubov enlists him as an assistant, and builds a relationship of trust with him. The two of them compile a dictionary of the Athshean and Terran languages. When Selver's wife Thele is raped and killed by Davidson, Selver attacks Davidson, who nearly kills him; Lyubov rescues Selver, and nurses him back to health. During the attack on the colony's headquarters, Selver tells the Athsheans to leave Lyubov's house alone, but Lyubov leaves his house and is killed by a collapsing building. As he dies, Lyubov warns Selver about the impact of the killings on the Athshean society. In comparison to Davidson, Lyubov reflects a lot upon his actions, and tries to analyze them in a detached manner. His contradictory position of being a colonial officer despite recognizing the damage that the colony is doing to the Athsheans gives him migraines. He feels a strong sense of guilt at the impacts of the colony, and is willing to destroy his own reputation in order to protect the Athshean people. He is one of the only Terrans to treat the Athsheans as human beings, although this loses him the respect of his fellow Terrans. Themes Hainish universe themes Similar to future history works by other authors such as Isaac Asimov, Le Guin's fictional works set in the Hainish universe explore the idea of human society expanding across the galaxy. Books like The Dispossessed, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Word for World is Forest also explore the effects of various social and political systems. Le Guin's later Hainish novels also challenge contemporary ideas about gender, ethnic differences, the value of ownership, and human beings' relationship to the natural world. In comparison to the other worlds of the Hainish universe, the