How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
There were two drinking fountains in Marines Park, one marked "White Only," the other "Colored Only." Since neither worked, the signs were meaningless. (8.80)
This is one aspect of the old order we're not sorry to see go. Given that Alas, Babylon takes place in 1950s Florida, it depicts a fairly racist society. Now that said society has crumbled, however, those racial divisions are slowly receding. We're sure that there's still plenty of prejudice to go around, but it's not anything like it was before.
Quote #8
"It was a wolf," Randy said. "It wasn't a dog any long. In times like these dogs can turn into wolves." (9.264)
Now that's a spicy metaphor, we say while kissing our fingers. Like the German Shepherd that keeps eating the Henrys' chickens at night, mankind can quickly go feral if society collapses. A scary thought indeed.
Quote #9
"I am an officer in the Reserve. I have been legally designated to keep order when normal authority breaks down. [...] And the first thing I must do to keep order is execute the highwaymen." (10.69)
Left for dead by the federal government and besieged by bloodthirsty highwaymen, Randy takes matters into his own hands and singlehandedly bring Fort Repose back from the brink of chaos. Sure, we might feel squeamish that his first act as sorta-sheriff is to murder a gang of criminals, but can we really blame him given the situation? It's eat or be eaten and all that.