Many have read this novel as an allegory (look up this word if you are not sure of its meaning).  According to this view, we are not meant to see its characters as people so much as values, principles, or points of view; the plot is driven by the clash of these opposing values or principles.  Briefly explain what qualities (whether good or bad) Billy Budd, Claggart, and Captain Vere could stand for in this novel.