Commentary 02

6. Enter the over-bearing Precept. This is the only main character to never get a name. Because he's a real ass the whole time, but you've probably figured this out by now.

When Factor 2 mentions playing "Hobbe" with the algorithms, this is really a play on words. Hob in the original meaning is the Devil. Hobbe was one of these academic economists who was more ivory tower than real life. (IMHO.) But look him up and you'll see how he fits into this discussion of dreams we are having. To my recollection he was very much stuck in the Mathusian fiction of constant lack on this planet, and also very much cause-and-effect in trying to figure things out from a purely physical reasoning.

Of course, what we are doing here is to explore the meta-physical reasoning for things, so...

Oh, and now the Prefect is saying how busy he is with all his other work to help them out or even supervise them much. Vanity, thy name is professor.

And to distiguish him from the students we learn their names. Sue (Factor 2) doesn't like him leaning over them. Of course he's overbearing, but this is too much when he actually is.

7. Still in the hospital at this point. Joe meats another well-shaped nurse. Even the matrons at the desk weren't in bad shape - so this isn't your normal hospital (at least not the ones I've been in.)

But what's really key here is the introduction of this un-named person who nearly crowns him with the glass door. (Serves him right, for being distracted.) And while you'll see a very male aspect to all this, you'll get more hints about why shortly...

The plants and trees in the garden are native to Missouri, but are also Eastern Woodland, which stretches almost to the East Coast and several states up and south along the Alleghenies. By the flowers, you can also place what time of year this is. Joe's attention to detail also shows that he's a bit critical of the place as entirely man-made, even overboard for a hospital there to heal physical injuries.

8. OK - here's the fun part. This is a completely cartoon world with a cartoon Dog and Cat, who just have this conversation to set the scene. Originally, their language was going to be all Pogo-esque, but I relented later.

Read carefully, you see that these two are onto the whole scene. The "they" being talked about is unclear at this point.

9. Rosie and Charlene are nurses who also have too much time on their hands to keep their minds busy. This is really one of the few times we see the actual hospital staff having characters much beyond their assigned duties. Perhaps the only one, really. The idea of changing shifts is a bit of forewarning - however, I didn't really know myself what was about to happen at this point. Stories mostly write themselves, don't you know...

10. Our Factors start showing some life in this section. Roger doesn't appreciate Sue, but you also see the division of labor starting to show. While he has the heavy code-lifting, she is in charge of the more senstive, personal aspects. Again, I didn't plan this out, it just happened. And Sue's final gesture leads into...