[An assorted array of cranks] populate McCabe and The Long Goodbye, each riding on an autonomous wavelength that runs at an oblique angle to everyone else's. Consider, for instance, Harvey in California Split, an old friend whom Bill looks up in a paint store:

Harvey: Wait a minute! Don't tell anybody you came, I'm getting a flash. You see, I have a good amount of ESP. I'm blessed with it—my wife kids me about it—but you should catch it when I get these flashes. Let me see how close I can get to what's goin' on here. I get—I get that you're probably back with your old lady … an-n-n that you probably want to paint your garage door—perhaps even the whole front of your house—I'm gettin' the colour … it's a greenish colour. Right, how close did I get?

Bill: I need a loan...