Against the Day

by Thomas Pynchon

“You are a socialist, sir.” “As anyone not insulated by wealth from the cares of the day is obliged to be. Sir.”

“Why bother? Had their own magic, doin just fine, thanks, instead of turning lead into gold, they could take poor people’s sweat and turn it into greenbacks, and save that lead for enforcement purposes.”

“Was a little worse for us, maybe, coming to U.S.A. after hearing so much about ‘land of the free.”’ Thinking he’d escaped something, only to find life out here just as mean and cold, same wealth without conscience, same poor people in misery, army and police free as wolves to commit cruelties on behalf of the bosses, bosses ready to do anything to protect what they had stolen.