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1. In whose apartment does Barney awake at the start of the narrative and why?

Barney awakes in an unfamiliar apartment, feels ills, and sees the remnants of a party lying around the room. He does not remember much of the previous night, so at his request, Dr. Smile tells Barney that he is in Roni Fugate's apartment, that she is his new assistant at P.P. Layouts, that the two had sex the previous night, and that Roni is likely gunning for Barney's job.

2. Who or what is Dr. Smile?

Dr. Smile is an electronic psychiatrist. The suitcase that Barney carries at the start of the novel is the portable version of Dr. Smile. Dr. Smile only talks to Barney when there is no one else in the room and his purpose is to help Barney become mentally unstable enough to fail his draft examination. Thus, if Dr. Smile works effectively, Barney will be a psychological wreck by the time he is supposed to migrate to Mars, but he will not have to go because he will be deemed unfit.

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