In Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Ender Wiggin ends up in Command School because of his talent, but his final examination turns out to be a shock to him. Let's look at why this happens.

For his final, Ender is set to a simulated battle against the Buggers on their home planet, which is defended by a huge armada. Ender has a much smaller fleet, but he decides that to pass his exam, he must win the battle at any cost. He determines to sacrifice most of his soldiers and direct a missile at the planet. It works, and the Buggers are completely destroyed. Ender has passed his test.

But then Ender learns something shocking. The exam was not a simulation, nor have the other training exercises been simulations. They have been real. He has been commanding real people in real battles. Ender is horrified, for his choices have led to the deaths of many soldiers and the extermination of the Buggers. His teachers tell him that they had to deceive him to get him to take risks and make bold choices, but Ender has a hard time accepting this.

You will have to think if you were as surprised as Ender to learn that he has been fighting real battles. Ask yourself if there were any clues that might have tipped you off to this reality.

Finally, Card is certainly making a statement with regard to humans and their tendencies toward deception and risk. See if you can articulate that.