Chapter 8 Summary

Kilgore exits the theater and walks along 42nd street in the early morning. A giddy prostitute propositions him. He walks along the street amidst the other trash and feels vaguely uneasy. He notices a car is following him. He then wakes up in an alleyway and discovers he has been robbed, raped, and beaten up. The police pick him up assuming he is a vagrant trying to cause a public disturbance. He spends the remainder of the night at the police station; and one of his offhand comments to the police is picked up by the newspaper, eventually causing a panic as the citizens of New York City are led to believe a new crime wave is imminent.

Chapter 8 Analysis

Kilgore's false economy of not renting a hotel room becomes painfully obvious and he looses all of his money, save a hidden ten...