Severance: Kier Eagan's 9 Core Principles Explained
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2's episode 8.
Severance's characters keep referring to Kier Eagan's 9 principles, making it hard not to wonder what they mean and why characters like Harmony Cobel strive to follow them. With each new episode, Severance expands and enhances its lore by not only revealing new details about what Lumon is trying to achieve but also adding new depth to the company's history and the people who started it. Although the Apple TV+ sci-fi show primarily unfolds in the present timeline, there are story arcs in the series that harken back to the past to reveal how Lumon has gradually grown its influence.
Severance season 2's episode 8 features one of these arcs where Harmony Cobel returns to the location, Salt's Neck, where she was raised. The trip back home not only forces her to confront some of the most traumatic memories from her childhood but also helps her recall how she started her Lumon journey. The episode also features references to Kier's 9 principles, which have been featured in the series on more than one occasion in many previous story beats.
The Nine Core Principles Are Characteristics That All Kier Eagan Followers Must Demonstrate
All Lumon Workers Are Also Expected To Aspire To Them
Kier Eagan's nine core principles have consistently been featured in Severance since season 1. For instance, Irving mentions them in an early episode from season 1 when he reveals a fun fact about him is that he knows all nine core principles. He also adds that on that given day, his favorite principle was "cheer." A closer look at Harmony Cobel's Baird Creek Manor home in Mark's neighborhood also reveals that she placed many reminders of the principles all over her home, showing her dedication to worshiping Kier and his beliefs.
...it is hard not to see how Kier's nine principles are also similar to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit described in Galatians, revealing how Lumon almost functions as a religious institution in its own right, with Kier being touted as the "god."
As Severance has revealed in many story arcs, the principles establish a set of behaviors that all Lumon workers and Kier Eagan followers are expected to demonstrate. The principles not only unite those who religiously follow the Kier cult but also lead Kier's loyal followers to become better humans and workers in Lumon. Speaking of religion, it is hard not to see how Kier's nine principles are also similar to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit described in Galatians, revealing how Lumon almost functions as a religious institution in its own right, with Kier being touted as the "god."
All 9 Core Principles Explained
Both Harmony & Sissy Cobel Were Indoctrinated In The Core Principles
In Severance season 2's episode 8, all the core principles can be seen on a bunch of cards in Sissy Cobel's Salt's Neck home. The same cards were also previously seen in the Kier Eagan shire in Harmony Cobel's house. Helena Eagan, too, claims that she recites the nine principles before bed every night, which reveals how, more than anyone else, the Eagan family members are expected to loyally abide by the values set by Kier. As seen in a framed needlepoint in Harmony Cobel's home, Kier's nine core principles are as follows:
- I was blind till you gave me Vision.
- I was languid till you gave me Verve.
- I was simple till you gave me Wit.
- I was peevish till you gave me Cheer.
- I was in vain till you gave me Humility.
- I was cruel till you gave me Benevolence.
- I was gawkish till you gave me Nimbleness.
- I was false till you gave me Probity.
- I was dim till you gave me Wiles.
- I was Me till you gave me You.
When Harmony confronts Sissy about her mother's demise in Severance season 2's episode 8, Sissy snaps back at her by claiming that "If only she had been a believer, perhaps she would have found solace in the Nine.” As Sissy's statement and the 9 principles establish, they are seemingly designed to take away one's sense of individuality and ensure that all workers and followers by a united by shared sense of loyalty to Kier and Lumon. On the surface, the principles can be seen as a satire on how real-world companies list down core traits a team should value and operate under.
In many real-world corporations, such principles often contain high-sounding words that expect employees to embody the most ideal morals and behaviors. Severance seems to take it a step further by showing how the principles are analogous to religious commandments. As they establish, all involved in the Kier cult must have a solid vision and work with verve, wit, and cheer. Instead of being driven by their selfish desires, they must show humility, benevolence, and probity while exhibiting nimbleness in their work.
Severance Key Facts Breakdown | |
Created By | Dan Erickson |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score | 97% |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score | 83% |
Streaming On | Apple TV+ |
If necessary, the workers must serve the company by employing wiles. This explains why Cobel recalls Kier's "wiles" principle in season 1 before she extracts Petey's chip during his funeral. Most of all, as the final principle establishes, one must give up on the idea of "me" and be open to accepting oneself as a mere subset of Kier and his organization.
Why Harmony Cobel Is So Focused On Kier's Nine Core Principles In Severance
Harmony Was Brainwashed From A Young Age
Harmony Cobel's Severance backstory confirms that she was raised in Salt's Neck and even worked in a local ether factory run by Lumon from a very young age. She also attended the Myrtle Eagan School For Girls, where Kier Eagan's teachings and principles were deeply integrated into the curriculum. Cobel eventually became a Wintertide Fellow, which paved the way for her to become a full-time employee at Lumon. Since Harmony spent almost her entire life as a devotee of Kier Eagan and his cult-like organization, she strives to loyally conform to everything Kier stood for.
Who Sissy Cobel Is In Severance Season 2 & How She's Related To Harmony
Severance season 2, episode 8 introduces a character named Sissy, calling into question how she is connected to Ms. Cobel and the overall world.
Owing to this, she sees the nine principles as virtues she must loyally conform to. However, Harmony Cobel's faith in Lumon and Kier Eagan starts to dwindle when she realizes how easily the company was willing to discard her even though she dedicated her life to it and even allowed Jame Eagan to take credit for her inventions. After Severance season 2's episode 8, Cobel seems to be on a journey towards redemption where she will break all the rules and principles that have been programmed into her since childhood and try to take Lumon down by helping Mark.
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a "severance" procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
- Cast
- Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, Sarah Bock, Marc Geller, Michael Cumpsty
- Showrunner
- Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
- Directors
- Ben Stiller
- Writers
- Dan Erickson
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 2
- Story By
- dan erickson
- Streaming Service(s)
- AppleTV+
