"Most of all he felt sorry for his dog, because he could see the bugs landing on and settling all over him, and probably getting into the dog's lungs, as they were in his own." Chapter 1, pg. 4

"Once a month an undercover narcotics agent of the county was assigned at random to speak before bubblehead gatherings such as this. Today was his turn. Looking at his audience, he realized how much he detested straights." Chapter 2, pg. 24

"'Cocaine is an aphrodisiac,' Barris muttered, half to himself; he was setting up the testing equipment beside Bob Arctor's cephalochromoscope, which was Bob's most expensive possession." Chapter 3, pg. 44

"This change in him as Fred was an economy of the passions. Firemen and doctors and morticians did the same trip in their work." Chapter 3, pg. 58

"Her heart, Bob Arctor reflected, was an empty kitchen: floor tile and water pipes and a drainboard...