Each game strips away the veneer of civilization, exposing what lies beneath—fear, desire, ambition, and the will to survive. But true strength is not found in surviving by any means necessary. It is found in choosing virtue, even when the price is death.

Recently, I’ve been watching Squid Game, catching up on the later seasons. While it’s been out for a while, the brutality and moral tension still hit hard. And like any good overthinker—and Stoic—I started asking the deeper questions: What does this show reveal about human nature? And what would the Stoics have to say about it?

If you haven’t seen Squid Game, I’ll warn you now: spoilers ahead. But the premise is simple, and disturbing. Financially desperate individuals—those with massive debts, the homeless, the abandoned—are lured into a series of deadly games. These are childhood games twisted into fatal trials, and for each person who dies, money is added to the winner’s prize. A sick trade of blood for fortune.

At first, the contestants don’t know death is on the line. Once they do, they’re given a chance to vote and leave. Some do. But many choose to return. Why? Because they saw the prize money, and with it, a glimpse of hope. A way out of shame, debt, despair. And that’s where the moral decay begins.

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