Robert Stadler, the genius turned feudal baron, dramatizes the principle that men seek to live by either mind or force. Holding an elitist belief that only a select few are interested in ideas and that most men are irrational brutes, Stadler necessarily believes that reason is impotent in dealing with people and that only intimidation and force are effective weapons. He is then driven by the logic of his theory to become a looter, a power seeker, and ultimately, Galt's worst enemy. The form of his death is not ironic; his death is the exact end dictated by the logic of his life. He placed his mind in service to the brutes and is killed by the weapon that his research created for them.
Galt, knowing the logical inevitability of Stadler's end, refuses to turn his mind over to the purveyors of force. He uses his mind only to create and defend the values necessary for life on earth. Even the help that he gives the looters to repair the instrument of torture is an action taken in defense of himself and against the looters, because he shows them that they're dependent on him even for the most evil purposes. The irrational live off the men of the mind, and Galt drives this point home to them. Galt, the preeminent man of the mind, is the generator of progress and prosperity.
Dagny, knowing that the looters are willing to torture and kill Galt, finally understands their true nature. Previously, Dagny believed that the looters had a will to live, but were mistaken about how to do so. Now she realizes that in forsaking the mind in favor of brute force, they've given up on human life. They support a code of death: Destruction is all that their policies can lead to, and destruction is their goal. Their willingness to torture Galt is significant because Galt represents the mind. No man who would torture the mind can claim life as his goal. Dagny sees the irredeemable evil of the looters and the necessity to withdraw her mind from their system. Dagny joins the strike with the act of walking away from the Taggart Bridge disaster.
