Chapter 18 Summary

This chapter starts with Stratton ordering Isidore to bring her television into his apartment. She and Irmgard Baty are excited about Buster Friendly's upcoming announcement. Isidore heads downstairs to Stratton's apartment feeling happy about being useful. He retrieves the television and thinks briefly about how quiet it is without it on, and how he could no longer face living in this empty building after having met his new "friends."

After returning to his own apartment, Isidore is dismissed by the androids, so he returns to Stratton's apartment to gather her clothes. On the way back to his apartment, he captures a spider. Though the other androids are raptly interested in the TV, Stratton examines the spider with some interest. She and Irmgard then proceed to mutilate the spider with scissors, ignoring Isidore's pleas to the contrary.

While this is going on, we hear...