The "Great Chain" is a term constantly used by allegorical Andrew Ryan, which describes how industry and the economy can "unite people": consumers pay taxes and inject money into the government and the capitalist system in order to pay maintenance of society and its constituent elements, such as health and general maintenance. In the context of Rapture, the "Great Chain" refers to the economy that surrounds the city, acting as a foundation for industry in a free economic sense. In this way, we are all united by the industry chain, because the industry provides the economic availability and capitalist goods and provide jobs for the masses. Now we can say that we are supported not just by the chain, because without it, people would live in the way of a third world country, with barely enough to survive in terms of employment or food, or luxury goods which are supplied by industry.
"We must take the case of Fontaine. While I would buy property and invest in fish, it monopolized the market for genotypes and nucleotides. Rapture turns under my eyes. The Great Chain 's aside from me. It may be time to shoot. "
In this context, refers to Ryan who has the greatest influence on the economy of Rapture, controlling the flow of money and things such as inflation throughout Rapture. If Ryan controlled the "Great Chain of Industry", it would control the economy. One of the "ideals of Ryan" is pure capitalism, investment and production of economic goods, the flow of wealth in an economy being controlled by one or more individuals selected, namely Ryan and Fountain. In this sense, because they control the majority of industrial enterprises focusing Rapture, they have the power to influence the capitalist economy, and therefore all the people as well, hence the term "The Great Chain Industry lees us and we united.
The "Great Chain of Industry" unites us, in that it requires an absolute contribution of consumers to keep afloat, like many multinational conglomerates today. Each of us inject income into the system which is then placed to attract a growing number of consumers, and so on. In this way, the economy of Rapture can be described as operating in a cyclical fashion. "The Great Chain of Industry" us lies, because a nation is determined by the constraints of its economy, limiting consumer spending in proportion to the availability of goods. Today, our economy is founded on the basis of supply and demand: if there is no demand, there will be no supply. Ryan and Fontaine, who control large segments of the economy of Rapture have the power to change the "Channel" as they see fit.
I believe in no God, no invisible man in the sky. But there is something more powerful than each of us, a combination of our efforts, a Great Chain of industry that Unite us. But it is only when we struggle in our own interest that the chain pulls society in the right direction. The chain is too powerful and too mysterious for any government to guide. Any man who tells you different either has his hand in your pocket, or a pistol to your neck.
Andrew Ryan