A world starved for people will do anything to hold society together, even if it means dividing those who don't provide from those who do. Those scheduled to be sent to a prison of labor will try and run to freedom, escaping the pursuit of the nation with bounties on their heads, hunted by impossibly smart people with no remorse for their loss.
The minds of the poor must be sharpened to a fine point in order to stand a chance against the many savages they would encounter on their journey, and weather they go alone or with a friend, their survival or freedom is anything but guaranteed, based soley on who you trust, and who you don't.
Will you settle for a life of work, or attempt to escape at the risk of a punishment worse than death?