A Scanner Darkly Summary
Philip K. Dick

A Scanner Darkly Summary

A Scanner Darkly is a story about drug abuse in Orange County, California. The novel begins with an account of one addict's strange belief that he is infected with biting bugs. Jerry Fabin's delusion soon spreads to his friends, who are also druggies. When another druggie, Charles Freck, visits Fabin, Freck ends up collecting bugs in jars with his delusional friend. After leaving Fabin's house, Freck runs into Donna Hawthorne, a drug dealer, at the mall. He recognizes Donna and arranges to buy some Substance D from her. Substance D, also known as slow death, is a popular yet deadly drug that is believed to be created synthetically in labs.

Freck knows Donna as the girlfriend of Bob Arctor. What Freck does not realize is that Arctor is an undercover narcotics agent. When the reader is first introduced to Arctor, he is giving a speech to a local Lions Club.... View more of the A Scanner Darkly Summary