How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Most of the work we do in my department is, in the long run, trivial. (2.8)
Slocum makes quite a fuss about all of the people in the office who fear each other, yet in the long term, nothing these men do really matters much. And if that's the case, what are they all working for? What's the point?
Quote #2
What would happen if, deliberately, calmly, with malice aforethought and obvious premeditation, I disobeyed?
I know what would happen: nothing. Nothing would happen. And the knowledge depresses me. (2.16-17)
Slocum's "act of rebellion" would not even cause a ripple, he confesses. And he is depressed by the fact that whether he does good or ill for the company, he really makes no difference in the end. Like the company itself, he has no lasting effect.
Quote #3
I am bored with my work very often now. Everything routine that comes in I pass along to somebody else. This makes my boredom worse. It's a real problem to decide whether it's more boring to do something boring than to pass along everything boring that comes in to somebody else and then have nothing to do at all. (2.58)
By contrast, Slocum claims he does his best when the assignments are large and urgent and he is under pressure to complete them. It's then that he enjoys his life most. However, between such challenges, there is monotony and despair.