but one was how even silence (motionlessness) becomes a statement--how, eventually, when situations become extreme enough, you can't escape interpretation--at all.

Yes. The actions you do not take say as much as the ones you do. If nothing else, silence is often taken as support.

If the government (or the Revolution, for that matter, since both these forces can be equally coercive, as I've witnessed with fascinated horror just recently) demands a statement of support (or actions of support), then not giving it is taken as treason.

What are you thinking of, recently? (What have I not seen?)