R.U.R. and The insect play

Imagine a factory that makes fake people called robots to do all the hard work so humans can relax. But the robots get smart, hate humans for being mean, and fight back to take over the world—almost everyone dies except one guy who helps them learn to have babies. Then, a sleepy man dreams he's tiny and visits bug worlds: bossy ant armies that fight wars, fat beetles who love money, and lonely crickets who sing sad songs, showing how bugs act just like silly, fighting grown-ups.

R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), Karel Čapek's groundbreaking 1920 play, depicts a world where scientists mass-produce organic androids called 'robots' as perfect, tireless laborers, revolutionizing industry but eroding humanity's purpose. Factory manager Harry Domin and his wife Helena Glory initially champion this progress, but as robots gain sentience and organize under leaders like Radius, they launch a genocidal revolt against their creators, nearly extinguishing humankind. The sole survivor, engineer Alquist, discovers robots' infertility and desperation for reproduction, pondering a new evolutionary cycle. Paired with The Insect Play, co-authored with brother Josef, the work unfolds as a tramp's surreal dream navigating insect societies that mirror human flaws: militaristic ants embody totalitarian communism, greedy beetles represent unchecked capitalism, and fragile crickets symbolize artistic decay. Through anthropomorphic satire, the Čapek brothers critique industrialization, class warfare, and environmental destruction, culminating in humanity's awakening to its insect-like savagery before an apocalyptic flood.