Surveillance

Primarily with the actions of Philip Hadi, Dee highlights surveillance and its potential to impinge on democratic freedoms throughout the novel. Philip hires Mark Firth to install a host of security and surveillance measures in and around his house, which he justifies by saying that he manages a lot of money and is an attractive target for criminals. However, Philip soon brings these measures to the Howland public by unilaterally installing two surveillance cameras on Main Street, justifying them as "just a cheap law enforcement tool" (239). Shortly after the installation of the cameras, Dee provides a section of Howland's weekly police blotter, suggesting a direct relationship between the new surveillance measure and local arrests.

The potential "Big Brother" aspect of the cameras does not escape Gerry Firth, who writes an anonymous post on his blog excoriating the measure. "It was easier to ignore the whole invasion...