Y'know, a thought just occurred to me when re-reading some of the posts. What if Ink knows perfectly well that the food supply is decreasing and he is taking steps to deal with that issue? The colony could just be his people farm, after all. He could be giving the surviving people enough room to feel like they're in charge while ensuring that if anyone gets out of line or goes poking around where they shouldn't, they die. By doing this, the survivors would be less likely to go on a full frontal assault and cause issues for Ink. Plus, if they're allowed to feel secure, they start doing crazy things like making babies to carry on future food lines.

Perhaps the re-telling of the stories is done by the survivors to the next generation of those in the people farm (sort of like an oversized arena).