neighbourhoods-as-zones

The narrator prepares to infiltrate the forbidden Stable Neighbourhood, relying on patchy information from Snedd and aware of the lethal risks involved. Along the way, the narrator reflects on the unique characteristics of various Neighbourhoods, especially the eerie Cat Neighbourhood inhabited solely by cats, and the deceptive isolation of Stable's inhabitants. The chapter ends with the narrator poised to breach Stable's walls, contemplating the artificial reality maintained for its residents.