As Kohler begins to dig his actual tunnel, Chad, Kaija, and Brian talk about Culp as a sort of döppelganger, complicity, the symbolism of a tunnel, losing one’s wedding ring, whether the breakup scene with Lou really took place, the formal constraints of dirty limericks, and much more. For all the daily fascism in the novel, the conversation about it is fun and funny, while teasing out various themes and exploring the core issues.

This episode’s music is “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White.

Next week we’ll cover the second section, “Mad Meg” (pages 214–282). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here.

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