The Republic of Bybrook is a tiny, cultured nation, remarkable for its absence of drug laws, punitive income tax rates, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, devout population of 12 million Bybrookians are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Education, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 75.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The fragile Bybrookian economy, worth 291 billion Credits a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Cheese Exports, Soda Sales, and Furniture Restoration. Average income is 24,277 Credits, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

A firework a day does not in fact keep the doctor away, abattoirs are struggling with the directive to 'wait until the animal dies of a ripe old age', prosecutors are tucked into bed by the household police officer, and elevator music has been replaced by thrash metal played at maximum volume. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Bybrook's national animal is the Wren, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Bybrook is ranked 205,118^th in the world and 1^st in Westernesse Union for Least Corrupt Governments, with 92.19 percentage of bribes refused.