The very title gives an image of a struggle to keep things locked away from the outside world. To do tests on them- see what they are capable of. The novel tells of genius children locked away- half of them supposedly autistic. They are watched through the cold eyes of Larsen who's only concern is that of money. Just reading the book makes you feel that it's all real, but how much of what the novel portrays could really happen. Of course anyone would say that it'd never happen, after all the book is only fiction. But with the technology and greed in our world today nearly anything is possible- there may already be think-tanks out there using the brains of our youngest geniuses and not one of us would know. .
Although I don't believe that the situation depicted in the novel is entirely realistic I believe that the basis of the story is. It allows us to see in a whole new light what could really happen to our world with the effects of greed and technology. Animals and humans have been, and will be tested on. The curiosity of humans to understand the purpose for everything will always get in the way of our morals. It is simply a fact of life. But this fact could also be the one thing that leads us to our own extinction.
We want to save ourselves from pain and disease so we create miracle cures. However, to create the cure you need not only research but also the problem itself. It is on this problem that the research will be based. Of course for that research you need to run tests. But how do you test if that problem is in a human. Do we sacrifice the life or healthiness of one human in order to save hundreds or do we not test and then not know any cure, leading to the death of many. This is where the real dilemma lies. This is the reason why there are situations like the one depicted in the novel have and will arise. It's your classic lose-lose situation. There is no right answer. .
Yes, these situations are hardly on the same level as that of the one portrayed in the book but the concept is the same.