When the novel begins, Sheila is alarmed that Ben is watching the Free-Vee. Why does he begin studying the programs, and why does he finally enter the Games? How is he portrayed as different from other would-be contestants?

How is Ben a throwback or a relic of a former time? For example, why does Ben’s dossier refer to his marriage as an “[o]ld-style lifetime contract” (64)? Why would this sort of marriage fall out of favor in the novel’s dystopian society?

What is the significance of the name Co-Op City? How does King use the name to convey a sense of grim irony that underlies the reality of the lower class?