In this chapter, the Underground Man continues to rant and rave about how much he hates his job. He's not a punching bag, he says, and he doesn't want to be punched in the guts by anyone. He wants to know why they're going to the desert and how long it will take them to get there. The Underground Man says he's tired of all the games he has to play with his friends and that he'd rather just open up his mind and find out what he needs. He also says that if he had a "cyber brain" , he would be able to extract all the information he needs from his friends instead of having to talk to them in a "friends pen" . He says that's the only way he'll ever be friends with anyone. So, he wants to get a bag of sand and a sandwich to eat. He asks what his take is on the supply run of sandbags from the armory. He thinks it's a ploy to steal their car. He wonders if they can trust the woman who sold them the glove. He hates using the glove because it stings "like hell." He also wonders if someone took a "miss mayumi out" for dinner without her knowledge. He worries that she's got the glove out for him, and worries that they'll try to cheat the woman out of the money she gave them to buy the gloves. He wishes they could just get a car and go by air, sea, or camel, but they can't think of a way to cross the desert. They'll need a truck to get the cargo they need to bring back to the U.S.