Jeremy Goldmann
Chapter 1 - The Hollow Man
Bremen
Bremen endures a violent psychic intrusion during takeoff, forced to simultaneously experience the panic and mortality of 187 other passengers. After the mental assault, he opens his eyes to a calm cabin, realizing the plane has not exploded despite his brief fear of a terrorist attack.
Chapter 2 - Shadow at Evening
Bremen / Jerry
Bremen drives his Triumph from the hospital to the beach, shielding himself from Gail's pain while projecting visual and sensory memories to her. He walks the dunes at Barnegat Light, maintaining a shared mental connection with her until she dies just before dawn.
Chapter 3 - A Banner There Upon the Mist
Bremen / Jeremy / Jerry
Bremen endures a series of visits from colleagues and neighbors, using his psychic ability to uncover their hidden selfish motives and desires. He retreats into his grief and the overwhelming 'neurobabble' of other minds, ultimately deciding to burn his house and outbuildings to the ground and flee on a plane, leaving Gail's Volvo behind in the barn.
Chapter 4 - Eyes
Jeremy / Bremen — aliases: God, a god
Bremen boards a plane and undergoes a profound internal monologue about his telepathic abilities, the loss of his shared mindshield, and the cruel secret of a hidden pregnancy within him that he carries even from himself.
Chapter 5 - Out of the Dead Land
Bremen
Bremen suffers a crushing psychic assault from the latent mortality fears of his fellow passengers, visualizing their secrets and violent impulses. He fights to maintain control, accepting a meal from a flight attendant only to spit it into a napkin, and holds onto his seat with white-knuckled force to withstand the tidal wave of mental noise until the captain announces their destination.
Chapter 6 - On the Joyless Beach
Bremen
Bremen arrives at a remote shack in the Everglades, vomiting from psychic overload and grief. He purchases fishing gear and groceries from Norm Sr., then departs on a boat with Verge, carrying a revolver he found in his luggage.
Chapter 7 - Eyes
Jeremy / Jerry
Jeremy excitedly shares his thesis breakthrough with Gail, explaining how holographic wavefront theory and interferometry elucidate the mechanism of telepathy and human consciousness. He reveals that fundamental physics research is independently discovering the same standing wavefront patterns in the universe, connecting the microscopic and macroscopic scales of reality.
Chapter 8 - Lasciate Ogne Speranza, Voi Ch’intrate
Bremen
Bremen rises on the third day to fish along the riverbank, feeling a sense of happiness before a psychic echo of Gail induces a wave of despair. He attempts suicide with a revolver, visualizing the kinetic energy of the bullet, but lowers the gun to toss it into the river before being intercepted by Vanni Fucci. He is forced at gunpoint into Fucci's skiff and taken across the river.
Chapter 9 - Eyes
Jeremy / Bremen
Jeremy reflects on the concept of death, recalling the traumatic death of his mother Elizabeth and his father's reaction, as well as Gail's early philosophical stance on mortality derived from her childhood experiences, ultimately accepting the 'silence and a void' as the shared nature of death.
Chapter 10 - Where the Deadmen Left Their Bones
Bremen — aliases: the retardo
Bremen is forced into a Cadillac by Fucci and sits silently, using his telepathic ability to sift through the gangster's violent and chaotic thoughts while observing the passing Florida landscape and its elderly inhabitants.
Chapter 11 - Eyes
Jeremy / Jeremy Bremen
Jeremy drives the unreliable VW, navigates a grueling hike up Big Slide Mountain, and sets up a romantic dinner and campsite on the summit ledge. He experiences a deep, unified physical and mental connection with Gail as they make love under the stars, perceiving their thoughts and sensations as one.
Chapter 12 - In the Twilight Kingdom
Bremen / Jeremy — aliases: Goofy
Bremen suffers from sensory overload among the crowds before escaping into the backstage areas. He dons a Goofy costume to conceal his identity, then finds a group of terminally ill children, sending them telepathic comfort and whispering private reassurances before departing to catch a bus to his safety.
Chapter 13 - At the Violet Hour
Bremen
Jeremy travels by bus toward Denver, shielding himself from the psychic noise of other passengers by curling into a fetal position. He endures the telepathic presence of Burk and Alice Jean's lust, Donnie and Donna's conflict, and the violent intentions of Kushwat Singh, eventually wishing for death to silence the mental assault.
Chapter 15 - In Rats’ Alley
Bremen — aliases: Mr. Lowell
Jeremy is beaten in an alley, treated in a Denver ER, and then escapes hospital custody after realizing his cover story will lead to his arrest, donning an intern's coat to flee into the snow.
Chapter 16 - Eyes
Jeremy / Jeremy Bremen
Jeremy reflects on his ideological and temperamental differences with Gail, engaging in a telepathic argument about the predictability of human behavior compared to electrons. He then teaches a math class, where he explains a differential equation to a student after the student fails to solve it on the chalkboard.
Chapter 17 - Rat’s Coat, Crowskin, Crossed Staves
Bremen / Jeremy — aliases: wino, bum, panhandler
Bremen lives in a cardboard box, relies on alcohol and Soul Dad to manage the violent psychic noise of Denver, and violently assaults a man he identifies as a child molester using a two-by-four board.
Chapter 18 - Eyes
Jeremy / Jeremy Bremen — aliases: Jerry
Jeremy and Gail undergo fertility testing, providing a sperm sample at a genetic counseling clinic where he observes humorous signage. He analyzes the genetic probabilities of birth defects with horror, hiding his terror of imperfection and his jealousy of any potential child from Gail through mental shielding, while remaining unaware of the second secret she keeps.
Chapter 19 - In This Hollow Valley
Bremen / Jeremy
Overcome by grief and adrenaline after the alley beating, Bremen weeps in his shack until Soul Dad extracts him from the tent city. He steals a Pontiac, receives a twenty-dollar bill and directions to leave town, and drives west on I-70 toward the mountains.
Chapter 20 - In This Valley of Dying Stars
Jeremy Goldmann
Bremen walks along the desert road, is detained by Deputy Collins on suspicion of car theft, and is released after Miz Fayette Morgan claims him as a worker. He climbs into Morgan's truck, relieved by her mental static which blocks the psychic noise, and accepts her offer to work at the Two-M Ranch.
Chapter 21 - Eyes
Jeremy
Jeremy meets with Jacob Goldmann to validate his wavefront theories against Goldmann's MRI and S-CAT data, leading to a shared realization that human consciousness is a holographic standing wave reflecting the universe. He engages in a dense discussion of quantum physics and the Many-Worlds interpretation with Goldmann before agreeing to eat.
Chapter 22 - This Is Cactus Land
Bremen / Jeremy
Jeremy follows Miz Morgan into the main house, drinking a beer and listening to her instructions regarding the ranch's rules and his housing in the bunkhouse. He feels the soothing effect of her mental static, which shields him from psychic noise, and accepts her protection from the pursuing deputy before preparing to eat and rest until the next morning.
Chapter 23 - Eyes
Jeremy / Jerry / Bremen — aliases: the observer
Jeremy explains the complexities of quantum mechanics, the two-slit experiment, and Hugh Everett’s theory of parallel worlds to Gail, asserting that human consciousness collapses probability structures to create reality. He hides his anxiety about the implications of his work behind a pedantic tone, eventually shutting down their mental link upon returning home.
Chapter 24 - Wind in Dry Grass
Bremen
Bremen performs backbreaking manual labor, from digging postholes to cleaning manure, surviving on the relief of Miz Morgan's psychic static. He experiences a terrifying storm-induced hallucination, digs up a buried skeleton, hides the skull in his bunkhouse, and eventually leaves to answer Miz Morgan's summons.
Chapter 25 - Eyes
Jeremy — aliases: Jerry
Jeremy ponders the physical intensity of his union with Gail and her memory, then immerses himself in chaos mathematics using supercomputers before discovering through a medical exam that he is the source of their childlessness, immediately concealing the diagnosis behind his mental shields.
Chapter 26 - There Are No Eyes Here
Bremen
Jeremy climbs the hill to Miz Morgan's hacienda, only to be ambushed in her bedroom when she reveals razor blades set in her dentures to attack him. He evades her lunges, suffering wounds to his thigh and side, and flees the house, running past the baying dogs to the illuminated driveway where he stands his ground against her with a shotgun.
Chapter 28 - The Eyes Are Not Here
Bremen
Bremen staggers into the cold house, sliding a chain free from the hasp to gain entry. He hides behind hanging meat and then climbs onto the corpse of a middle-aged black man to evade Morgan's shotgun fire and a released attack dog.
Chapter 30 - And Saw the Skull Beneath the Skin
Bremen
Strangles a rottweiler with a chain to gain time, then climbs onto the roof of the cold house. He freezes Miz Morgan with a fire hose, collapses from exhaustion, and closes his eyes.
Chapter 31 - Eyes
Jeremy / Bremen / Jeremy Bremen
Jeremy and Gail retreat to Barnegat Light to escape the gloom of Gail's recent illness. After a day of playful intimacy and a shared sexual encounter mediated by their telepathic link, he silently vows to her that she will survive her condition. He spends the freezing night holding her tightly, wrapping them in a blanket and projecting promises of life into her sleep.
Chapter 32 - We Are the Hollow Men
Bremen
Bremen heals his wounds, retrieves weapons, and enters the cold house to confirm Miz Morgan is frozen solid. He releases the dogs, packs food and water, and drives away from the ranch, eventually running out of fuel near Panaca, Nevada, where he finds clarity and direction.
Chapter 33 - Eyes
Jeremy
Jeremy supports Gail through her illness with mindtouch and physical care, sharing hopes and fears. He struggles with the secret of his varicocele and resolves to confess his past shames to her at Barnegat Light, but wakes to find she has died alone while he slept.
Chapter 34 - Malebolge
Bremen — aliases: civilian, high roller, kid
Bremen spends weeks in Las Vegas, using his telepathic concentration to win vast sums at poker tables while masking his identity with expensive attire. He is eventually recognized by casino surveillance, summoned to the office, and forcibly sedated by Vanni Fucci and his men after perceiving their plan to kill him.
Chapter 36 - Geryon
Bremen / Jeremy Bremen / Jeremy
Jeremy Bremen sits in the back of the aircraft, analyzing the violent thoughts of his captors and the flight path in the pilot's mind. He seizes the opportunity to disarm Bert Cappi, using the automatic pistol to hold the five men hostage in the small cabin. As the situation devolves into chaos with the other thugs reaching for their weapons, Bremen fires the gun.
Chapter 37 - Eyes
Jeremy
Jeremy immerses himself in the study of chaos mathematics and the work of Edward Lorenz, linking the butterfly effect to his theories on holographic perception and collapsing probability waves. He uses the KAM theorem to model the universe as islands of order within chaos, realizing that this mathematical structure applies to both the cosmos and Gail's illness, before abandoning his research in silent grief.
Chapter 38 - We Are the Stuffed Men
Mr. Bremen — aliases: this idiot, the college math prof
Wakes in a hospital bed with bandages and a cast, answering questions from police about the crash by lying about his involvement with Vanni Fucci and omitting his telepathic fight, before falling asleep as medical staff attend to his broken arm.
Chapter 40 - Sightless, Unless
Bremen
Jeremy lies in his hospital bed, debating his escape plan and deciding to steal an intern's Volvo. He lowers his mindshield to attempt a mindtouch with the dying Robby, successfully breaching the boy's psychic isolation, which causes him to convulse and fall into the void of Robby's mind.
Chapter 41 - Eyes I
Jeremy
Jeremy dives through thermals of consciousness and breaks the surface of Robby's mind, emerging naked and healed in a peach-lit, surreal plane. He walks the featureless orange ground until night falls, at which point he is seized by a giant, unseen force that inspects him before dropping him back into the darkness to sob and dream.
Chapter 42 - Eyes I Dare
Jeremy
Jeremy awakens in a surreal, peach-lit dimension, walks across a grassy plain and into a forest of elms and oaks, and finds a cold pond where he waits in thirst and fatigue. He spots Gail in the clearing, steps out to meet her, and they embrace frantically while he weeps and asks why she left him.
Chapter 43 - Eyes I Dare Not
Jeremy / Jeremy Bremen
Jeremy walks Gail through the surreal landscape of Robby's mind, retrieving a revolver from his study desk before setting it aside to pet the cat. He explains the physics of their existence to Gail, realizing they are holographic structures sustained within the boy's closed system, and leads her to bed.
Chapter 44 - Eyes I Dare Not Meet
Jeremy
Jeremy wakes from a nightmare to find Gail, accompanies her to a surreal beach on Big Slide Mountain, and engages in a sexual encounter with her before finally confessing his secret varicocele. He experiences intense shame and fear until Gail reveals she already knows, leading to an emotional reconciliation where their mindshields dissolve.
Chapter 45 - Eyes I Dare Not Meet In
Jeremy / Jerry
Jeremy stands in the orchard trying to summon Robby's attention, then joins Gail to theorize that Jacob Goldmann used a Luger pistol to force a quantum branch into existence. He sketches probability waves on a napkin, explains the concept of 'ultimate perceptives' altering reality, and reflects on the Garden of Eden as a metaphor for the Tree of Life while listening to the stars with Gail.
Chapter 46 - Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams
Jeremy / Jerry
Jeremy and Gail walk on a surreal beach before being confronted by a radiant projection of Robby. Realizing his presence is destroying them both, he breaks their telepathic link, shares a final fierce embrace with Gail, and walks into the surrounding fog, causing himself to fall into nothingness.
Chapter 47 - Falls the Shadow
Bremen — aliases: Mr. Bremen
Bremen awakens from a five-day coma in a white hospital room, learning from a female doctor that he was kept alive on life support. He navigates the darkened hospital corridors to visit his dying roommate Robby, where he wrestles with the temptation to re-enter Robby's dying mind to join Gail. Rejecting the idea of trapping them as 'homunculi,' he touches Robby’s face, recalls a Yeats poem, and departs the room without rescue or further contact.
Chapter 48 - This Is the Way the World Ends
Bremen / Jeremy Bremen
Jeremy drives from St. Louis to Barnegat Light, steals a pistol from a roadside pickup, and descends to the beach at dawn. He lowers his mindshield to embrace the collective psychic pain of humanity, hears the underlying voices of compassion, and shoots himself in the head as the sun rises.
Chapter 49 - For Thine Is Life Is For Thine Is The
Jeremy
Jeremy emerges from the dunes holding hands with Gail and Robby, watching the sunrise with newly opened eyes after the events on the beach.