The Walking Dead: Why some Sanctuary residents liked the Saviors

Graffiti in season 9 of The Walking Dead suggests some Sanctuary residents want the Saviors back. That might be a bit hard to believe, but it makes sense.

After seeing what life was like at the Sanctuary on The Walking Dead it’s hard to imagine that the Sanctuary residents would want the Saviors to return. However, images from season 9 suggest that there are some residents that want the Saviors back.

Even though it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting the Saviors back, it actually makes sense when you consider that under Negan’s rule there was food and order. People did their jobs, and in return the Saviors provided enough food to eat. Of course, the methods the Saviors used to procure the food wasn’t exactly on the up and up, but from the Sanctuary residents’ perspective they were fed and they had shelter and protection. When it comes to basic needs, like as not their needs were being met.

When Simon took over at the Sanctuary there was chaos. Simon was ready and willing to kill the workers in favor of the Saviors, and the workers were relieved when Negan showed up and put Simon in his place. Negan kept things in line, and it’s not immediately clear that Rick is in a position to command that kind of control, nor can he ensure that everyone is fed.

It seems strange that anyone would want Negan to be in charge, but he provided food, shelter and protection for the people who lived in the Sanctuary. It’s not uncommon to find real-life examples of people living under dictatorships or Communist rule to say that they don’t have a problem with their leaders because they have everything they need. (Keep in mind, though, that socioeconomic class plays heavily into this; historically, the people who are living well in under these regimes are usually higher of a higher class than the workers, so the workers will have a very different perspective)

While some residents of the Sanctuary would rather see the Saviors in charge, the reality is that most of the residents are probably glad that they have autonomy and freedom to move around. The graffiti is suggestive of an underground movement to return the Saviors to power and likely not indicative of the general population’s sentiments.

It will be interesting to see how the residents of the Sanctuary are doing compared to the residents of the Kingdom, the Hilltop and Alexandria. If they aren’t living as well as the members of the other communities, expect some conflict.

The Walking Dead returns October 7 on AMC.