"There are people who eat the earth and eat all the people on it like in the Bible with the locusts. And other people who stand around and watch them eat"

This quote by Lillian Hellman is a metaphor for the power characteristics in between different groups of people. It suggests that there are those who are effective and prominent, who are able to consume and control the resources of the world, and those who are powerless and not able to do anything but watch. This is similar to the biblical story of the locusts, where a swarm of locusts descended upon the land and consumed whatever in their course. The quote indicates that the effective resemble the locusts, taking in the resources of the world, while the helpless are like individuals who can only stand by and watch. This quote is a reminder of the value of acknowledging and addressing power imbalances in order to create a more fair and simply society.