&gt; That assumes setupBase(), etc are either void-returning or return the this-instance (newModel).<p>This is Incorrect, it doesn&#x27;t assume anything. Dart&#x27;s method cascades just returns the receiver, it doesn&#x27;t matter what the method returns, it&#x27;s value is ignored and receiver is returned instead.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.dartlang.org&#x2F;2012&#x2F;02&#x2F;method-cascades-in-dart-posted-by-gilad.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.dartlang.org&#x2F;2012&#x2F;02&#x2F;method-cascades-in-dart-pos...</a><p>Since the return value is ignored, it&#x27;s only useful for methods with side-effects.