The interstellar politics of Dune are rife with malfeasance and scheming. Before his death, the political landscape had Duke Leto Atreides I and his men worried about the concentration of excessive power within the premier House Major, Corrino, and the Bene Gesserit, who rule from the shadows. As the Great Houses tiptoe around Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, the rights of prisoners, armies, and populations are all thrown into disarray.