How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
When Hiro learned how to do this, way back fifteen years ago, a hacker could sit down and write an entire piece of software by himself. Now, that's no longer possible. Software comes out of factories, and hackers are, to a greater or lesser extent, assembly-line workers. (5.17)
To an independent thinker like Hiro, writing software for The Man is the basically the worst thing ever. You have to wear a suit to work, show up on time, and follow all sorts of stupid rules. No wonder Hiro is—shall we say it politely?—underemployed.
Quote #8
"You know that funny-looking sidecar that Raven has on his Harley? Well, it's a hydrogen bomb, man […] If Raven dies, the bomb goes off. So when Raven comes into town, we do everything in our power to make the man feel welcome." (20.46)
Don't like the rules? Write your own. If you're sufficiently powerful or intimidating, that shouldn't be a problem. Don't ask us where to find your own nuke, though.