In Book I, the Athenian complains that the Spartan system is too heavily tilted toward enduring and overcoming pain when in fact courage is only one component of virtue. He asserts that virtue is also learning to avoid excessive pleasure, so, because the Spartan system does not provide pleasure avoidance training, it is deficient.
In Book III, the Athenian laments the collapsed ancient alliance between Sparta, Argos, and Messene, as the cause of disunity in the Peloponnese and the inability to repel the Persian invasion. This disunity, he contends, led directly to the adoption of the quirky Spartan political system with its Ephors and Gerousia.