This is a major problem in the new burnt-out world: one can find ways to stay alive, but what is simply staying alive really worth? Paul Thorson's radio gives people hope, though at first the ritual seems very cruel to Sister. Is it enough to have the basic necessities? Does simply being alive mean the human race is still around or does there need to be more?

Discuss Leona's explanation of the inside self versus the outside self. How does the author use this idea literally later in the text? Who does this affect and how?

Though the reader meets Roland as a child, it is clear there is some darkness in him. Is he naturally inclined to evil, a product of his environment, or both?

Sister begins as a crazy bag lady in New York City. What spurs her return to sanity? What...