Ultimately, cityCityCITY serves to emphasize Kerouac's oft-expressed view of his own society as a rampant machine, driven by a military-industrial complex, in which people exist merely to power the machine in return for the consumption of its output.

It was not until that evening, when I took the Gouda out of the refrigerator to prepare the evening meal, that I noticed that the butcher paper wrapped around it was printed with an image, green on white. I opened it out and studied it. It was a map of France.

I am the answer in Trivial Pursuit, / the first interesting prime,

If I went on without Shea, the donkey and I would have more to eat. But I didn't think I could. If I told Shea what I'd done maybe she wouldn't judge me. Maybe she'd stay instead.