chapter 25 apology to the tortured reader , singular as that may be , for being forced to clamber his way along the trail of mount syntax denuded and fettered i do understand , as this is life with ever more intricate and enervating interaction in ones job to survive , and in so doing banging against others in the city like billiard balls , to which each then absconds in his or her hole before being put back onto the table again for the next days game .