Prologue Summary

William Lee—Bill—is a thirty-year-old white male living in New York City who begins to use morphine and develops an addiction to narcotics—also referred to as junk. Over the next five years he uses drugs, engages in petty crimes and drug peddling, and moves to Texas, New Orleans, and finally Mexico City while intermittently kicking his junk habit.

Bill, the narrator and protagonist of the novel, relates his early life history. Born 1914 to an established, wealthy family, he grew up in a typical familial situation but was plagued by various nervous conditions such as nightmares and hallucinations. His athletic performance was mediocre and his academic performance was average or slightly above. He attended a typical suburban high school but gravitated toward an interest in criminal behavior. Lee was a loner and a petty vandal but graduated and proceeded...