Mormon uses Nephi’s return as another opportunity to emphasize the Gadianton control over the government of the people. This is a group that has shifted the balance of power and taken over the government of the Nephites. Since the goals of the Gadiantons are antithetical to the gospel, and particularly the Nephite egalitarian ideal, Mormon notes that the Gadiantons have laid “aside the commandments of God.” This alteration of the political landscape also suggests that the nature of law has shifted meaning, and therefore Mormon notes that they no longer do “justice unto the children of men.” The Gadianton takeover has altered the basic fabric of Nephite society.
While Mormon and Nephi certainly saw this as calamitous, we must remember that this was a process of social change that occurred over time, and eventually reflected a shift in the popular attitude towards these changes. While the balance of power was forcibly altered, the change of rulers was allowed because there had already been a fundamental shift in the popular paradigms of how the Nephite society ought to be.