How does Le Guin use the stark contrast between the idyllic city of Omelas and the suffering child to explore the ethics of societal happiness and the nature of morality?

In Omelas, it was festival time, the Festival of Summer. Omelas was not happy because it was naive or foolish, but they constructed a society where all could live meaningfully. It has music and dancing in the streets, children playing, and magnificent buildings decorated with colorful flags. The citizens of Omelas were brilliant, mature, and filled with life. There was imperfection in their lives, but they were filled with satisfaction. But the really ugly side of Omelas’ happiness was unhappiness for one hidden child in a dank basement.: This child was always hungry, filthy, and dirty. The citizens of Omelas knew this child existed and that the happiness for all had to come at this expense.

The terrible truth was that the prosperity and most glorious beauty of Omelas were linked indissolubly to the child’s sufferings. The city of Omelas would then crumble, and even the people in it would lose their happiness if ever the child were saved and brought to a better life. This fact weighed heavily in the minds of the members of Omelas. Some could find a reason for the child’s predicament, while others, as is often the case, simply accepted the reality. Upon reaching a certain age, children were shown the true costs of their happiness. so they could fully comprehend them  

Most people in Omelas knew about the child’s sorrows and continued to live in that society to enjoy the pleasure of a happy life. They had a reason for that—the happy child saved would experience life without the possibility of joy anymore. For some, however, such a society was too horrendous to remain in. So they call themselves the ones who walk away from Omelas. Out of moral conscience, these people decided to leave the city into the unknown and march into the wilderness again.

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