Is "They" is or is "They" ain't the Firm?

[Paul Mackin]

A constant puzzle.

Early in the book (p. 32-3):  "It's as useful to him as he is to the  
Firm--who, it is well known, will use anyone, traitors, murderers,  
perverts, Negroes, even women, to get what They want."

The ambiguity over whether "Firm" is  the grammatical antecedent of  
"They" has to be intentional.

Yet it mostly seems that the two are separate.

"The Firm" is a seemingly very concrete  entity with employees-- 
whereas "They" is abstract, ubiquitous, hardly mortal.

The Firm has certain skills but doesn't seem to refer to the people  
who are really running things. The F.O. calls on the Firm for  
support. "They" are  certainly not at the beck and call of the F.O.

Everybody  in "the Firm" with one exception carries a Sten.  We never  
for one moment think of "Them" as being primarily a gun totting  
military or quasi military force. We are told late in the  book that  
most of  "their" operations are done on paper.

Confusin' bit amusin' . . . .