Chapter 8, The Castle Summary

The Castle. Desiderio and Albertina are picked up by the helicopter where Albertina instantly dresses in flight gear and contacts her father over the radio. They land in a military camp not far from Dr. Hoffman's castle. Albertina tells Desiderio that the Minister has completed his computer program and managed to find a defense against the desire machines. This has liberated the capital city to a certain degree.

Albertina takes Desiderio to her father's castle. When Desiderio is introduced to Dr. Hoffman, he finds him sitting quietly with his long dead wife who has been preserved in some manner. After their initial meeting, Desiderio is escorted to a room where an unseen servant brings him an expensive change of clothing for dinner. At dinner, Desiderio is disappointed to find Dr. Hoffman anticlimactic. In fact, Desiderio finds Dr. Hoffman to...