To Messala, the Emperor "is God, the only God, he is power, real power on Earth." Ben-Hur responds by pledging his allegiance to his own people, refusing to become part of the Roman world: "You may conquer the land, you may slaughter the people.However, she had no love for Lige, and cruelly and contemptuously rebuffed consummation of her marriage with him on their wedding night.[The color red is significant - it is associated with Judy""s wildness - her trampy dress, her lipstick, etc.During their return rek, Malcolm was forced to separate from the apes, and reunited with Dreyfus""s small band of followers.