Chapter 3 Summary

"Overcoming the Fear" There are two clearly defined sections in this chapter. In the first, the narrator encounters Joel Lipscomb, who describes an encounter with a woman who seems to resemble Charlene, who seems in a hurry to get out of the valley, and who speaks at considerable length of his negative judgment towards spirituality. He describes his cynical belief in universal social/legal/political corruption and self interest, as well as his contention that the economy of the world is about to collapse and that nothing good of humanity will survive. He also contends that there are a large number of individuals who believe that society is moving through the End Times as described in the Bible's Book of Revelation, and narrates (in considerable detail) Revelation's description of those Times. As the narrator and Lipscomb converse, they suddenly become aware of the...