so the child gets out of omelas. someone lets him out of the room. or he got out on his own. but he’s angry. vengeful. and so he burns down the city that tortured him for the sake of their own prosperity.
and the people see this.
and they say “the prophecy was right! the child got out and look what’s become of us!”
and no one cares that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. and no one stops to think whether raising that child among their own would have saved both their beloved city and this detested–