“Mormon’s moral is that this prosperity, which temporarily brings peace, will nevertheless lead directly and inevitably to conflict. This theme has been a persistent one for Mormon. In this case, the instrument of contention will be the Gadianton robbers, not the Lamanites. The Gadianton robbers are an internal Nephite problem, on whom Mormon blames the Nephite collapse just before the Messiah’s arrival. … It suits Mormon’s editorial purposes to ground the Gadianton dissension in the same destructive power of class distinctions and wealth as past conflicts. The players are changing, but the game is the same” (Gardner, Second Witness, 5:103–4).