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Flatland and Galileo both have common themes of a higher power having complete control and being ignorant. In Galileo, the church and the government were closely connected and so were the scholars. The church could prosecute anyone for blasphemy and controlled what the scholars researched through finance. Thus, new ideas that went against the norm were rejected.

Flatland shows a higher power through the monarchy and the social hierarchy. Similarly to Galileo, the priestly order is the highest social class in Flatland. The In the square's dream, he tries to convince the king of Lineland that other universes exist. However, the king is determined that only lineland exisits. When the square mentions the word "feeling," the king tells him that feeling is punishable by death. It's ironic that the square is able to think outside of his own box while the line that is not enclosed can't.