1. What are the characteristics of an average person? How are they reflected in Sturgeon's novel?

2. Have you ever responded to an emergency by doing unthinkingly what was right? What was the experience like? Do Sturgeon's descriptions of how his characters react come close to your experience?

3. What is "Synapse Beta sub Sixteen"? What is it supposed to do? Why would it be essential for the survival of a sentient species?

4. Why would Robin be able to see Boff and Googie? Did Boff and Googie use him as part of their experiment?

5. Is what Boff and Googie did to the human characters immoral?

6. Why would someone want to be average?

7. Why would Mary Haunt obsessively pursue a goal that was not her own but was created for her by someone else?

8. Why would Tony O'Banion reject the love of someone he loved because she did...