"Joan Grenville finally spoke. 'I wish to God everyone would just calm down. This makes me nervous.' Her husband replied, 'We'll be past here in a minute.' Katherine responded, 'I think Joan was speaking in a larger sense. This makes me nervous too.' Pembroke nodded and put his drink on the bar. He said, 'I think I hear war drums.'"
Chapter 6, pg. 42-3

"The psychiatrist had added an insight that West thought was disturbing: 'Thorpe suffers greatly from ennui; he must live on the edge of an abyss in oder to feel fully alive. He considers himself superior to the rest of humanity by virtue of knowing important secrets and belonging to a secret and elite organization. This is evidence of an immature personality. Further, his relationships with his peers, though good-natured, are superficial, and he forms no strong male bonds. His attitude toward...