Every character in the novel, it can be said, with the exception of Tempy and Mr. Siles, is a living challenge to our civilization, a challenge that is all the more effective because it springs naturally out of its materials and is not superimposed upon them."
Every character in the novel, excluding Tempy and Mr. Siles, is a living force that poses a significant threat to civilization, arising from its inherent nature rather than being an external imposition.