S. takes comfort in habit, calling “the simple ritual of going outside to fetch a newspaper,” “one of the few things that helps [him] maintain whatever sanity has left.” Dorst argues that in the turbulence of reality, it is the predictable aspects of life that become the most calming.

Eric writes about the evening that he and Griff got into a big fight, when Griff asked him to read over his dissertation and Eric ended up hanging up on him. He talks about how fragile we are as people.

Eric explores the true meaning of identity: “We tell ourselves stories – about ourselves, but maybe also all these stories about other people about characters – as a way to hide from how small we are.”

Jen responds, “Maybe it’s not hiding. Maybe help us not be so small.”