- Alan thinks about how much he hates Eric Ingvall, his immediate boss at Reliant. Eric had told Alan that his report on the prospects at KAEC was too long and detailed.
- In reality, Eric felt that Alan had left too much up to guesswork. It's clear that the two men have very different views about risk assessment.
- Alan reflects on who he is and where his people came from: Irish immigrants, blue-collar workers. Dad was a foreman at a Stride Rite shoe factory.
- Alan identifies as a salesman through and through. (He was even an old-school Fuller Brush salesman.)
- This all means that Alan has supreme confidence in his sales abilities. Eric doesn't appreciate his swagger.