image-management

The chapter introduces Norman Niblock House, a young African-American VP at General Technics, who carefully manages his image and navigates corporate politics within a highly controlled, racially stratified society. It highlights the company's racial hiring quotas, the social dynamics of corporate life, and the looming pressures of external events, as Norman is unexpectedly summoned to address trouble involving visitors at the Shalmaneser project. The narrative also situates the story in a future world grappling with overpopulation, eugenics, and environmental degradation.