This novel appears to be modified and adapted from the experiences of multiple individuals. The detailed account of the labor reform experience is shocking and vividly written, suggesting that the author has conducted extensive research on the experiences of various labor reform prisoners and has artistically processed this information. The descriptions within the book are already brutal, but the reality is likely even more terrifying; the mass starvation and instances of cannibalism are only briefly mentioned.
The description of returning to Shanghai makes people feel that the big prison is more devastating to people's bodies and minds than the small prison. Everyone is in a terrifying atmosphere where they are monitored and may be reported and arrested at any time, and this red terror seems to be less obvious now, but in fact it has always existed, but it is more hidden and intelligent, quietly changing people's psychology, making people self-censored, self-castrating, and losing themselves.
The ending of the book appears to be a happy resolution, but the most crucial question remains: who is responsible for this suffering? There is no clear answer, and it is unlikely there will be one in the current phase. Perhaps in the future, there will be a genuine understanding of this history and a true evaluation of it.