Chapter 3, "The Mole and the Snake," employs a central metaphor to illustrate the transition from disciplinary society to neoliberal control society.

The "mole" represents the subjugated subject of disciplinary society, confined within institutions like schools and factories, operating in predetermined spaces with limited productivity. In contrast, the "snake" symbolizes the "project" of neoliberal control society, an entrepreneurial figure who creates their own space through movement, embodying the drive for motivation, competition, and optimization.

This shift signifies a mutation and intensification of capitalism to generate greater productivity by moving beyond the limitations of disciplinary methods and embracing psychopolitical domination through concepts like guilt and debt.