Originally Posted by
wpainterw 
Just as, within each person, there is a "beast" which attempts to influence the more rational and conscious parts of the mind, and a risk that the "beast" may in some cases control more and more of an addict's behavior, so is it possible that "beast like" influences may achieve control of an entire society, dragging it down into a darker and more primitive phase?
Yes, and Trimpey has at times alluded to the mingling of Beasts, which will feed off each other to collectively advance a common cause at any cost. AVRT is the idea that you are a free moral agent in the body of an animal, divided against base urges. This is a very ancient idea, of course, with many parallels in religion, art, and literature. Personally, I view addiction as a reversion to a feral state, in which the addicted person becomes driven more by instinct than reason, much as a domestic cat would revert to its base instincts if forced to fend on its own.