Point of View

The novel is told from a semi-omniscient third-person point of view. The narrator is at all times aware of what the protagonist, Fred-Bob Arctor-Bruce is thinking and feeling. At times the thoughts of the novel's two other undercover agents, Donna Hawthorne and Michael Westaway, are also conveyed through narration. The narrator also presents Charles Freck's thoughts, which are typically jumbled in a humorous manner.

Setting

The novel takes place in California. Arctor and his druggie friends all live and work in Orange County, where cars are required to get from place to place. Much of the action, therefore, takes place on the freeway.

The novel is set in four drug users' homes, which are typically dark and unkempt. Jerry Fabin's house is made of plastic, and he has covered the windows so that no light gets in. Kimberly Hawkins lives in a low-income housing project, with...