Man is based on materialistic values is a key satirical theme in Orwell's Animal Farm. There are several examples of this theme in the book. The first is when the horse, Mollie, refuses to leave the house, because she believes she cannot live without the ribbons, manes, and bows that are there. She says that she needs them, and it is this need that causes her to leave the farm. Other examples of this satirical theme, throughout the book, are the instances involving the pigs. First, there is the pigs" requirement that they have milk and apples to eat, because milk and apples taste better. Their requirements expand until they change the seven commandments. Their needs to sleep in beds, drink alcohol, use money, and wear clothes, cause them to lie to the other animals. They lie for fear that their material possessions will come under suspicion, and it is their opinion that once they have had these possessions, they cannot live without them. Slowly, their need for material possessions forces them to turn into animals dependent on these possessions, and they become their own worst nightmare. In the end, the pigs turn into wretched, horrible beings that base their whole lives around material needs and possessions. These beings are called humans.
Man is evil, cruel, and destructive is another key satirical theme in Animal Farm. The pigs become evil creatures. In the beginning, Napoleon congratulates Boxer for killing the human, yet Boxer feels remorse. Napoleon seems ignorant of the meaning of the word. As the book continues, and the animals are convinced that all bad events are Snowball's responsibility, all those who even think about conspiring with Snowball are immediately put to death. The death is a savage one, where the victims are ripped apart limb by limb. The pigs, unlike most of the other animals, find nothing wrong with this action. Also, the pigs savagely kill the hardest worker on the farm, Boxer.