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Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humanity and Empathy
Reality vs. Artificiality
Alienation
Religion and Faith
Consumerism
Summary
Analysis
John meets Roy and Irmgard Baty, who have come to join Pris in the abandoned apartment building. Pris sarcastically introduces John as someone taking care of her, while Roy updates her on the bounty hunters’ progress. He reveals that Polokov, Garland, and Luft have been killed, leaving only the three of them. Pris reacts with despair, while Roy appears strangely happy. Roy insists that they stay in the same building for mutual protection and begins setting up an alarm system to detect intruders.
Roy and Irmgard’s arrival shifts the balance of power and dynamics within the apartment, creating an uneasy alliance. Roy treats the dire situation as both a challenge and an opportunity, asserting his dominance by immediately taking control of their survival strategy. Meanwhile, Pris’s introduction of John is devoid of empathy for him, as she implies to Roy that he is a tool to be used and discarded rather than someone they should care for (despite the fact that John has expressed interest in caring for Pris).
Themes
As Roy works on the alarm, the group discusses their situation. John expresses concern about the danger of being in one place and offers to help Pris, even suggesting that he acquire a weapon to protect her. Irmgard defends John, pointing out his empathy and kindness, and convinces the others that they can trust him. Roy agrees to the arrangement, allowing Pris to move in with John while he and Irmgard remain in a nearby apartment. He explains the alarm system, which will emit a panic-inducing signal to repel intruders, giving them time to act.
Of the three androids, Irmgard is the one who expresses the most concern for John. Although self-preservation makes up a large amount of her rationale, she does not go out of her way to insult or otherwise degrade him like Pris and Roy do. From John’s perspective, he is simply trying to help people who are in trouble without needing to know anything more about their situation than necessary.
Themes
During the conversation, John learns that Irmgard, Roy, and Pris are escaped androids from Mars, though they do not tell him the details of what happened. John does not mind that the others are androids because, as a special, most humans don’t treat him well either. Roy continues installing the alarm, explaining its features in detail. John observes with a mixture of awe and confusion, eager to help despite the growing tension among the group. Pris questions the alarm’s effectiveness, but Roy dismisses her concerns, confident in his design. As the group settles into their new arrangement, John feels proud to be included, even as he senses the underlying distrust and fear in the air.
John recognizes that society has otherized both him and the androids, a fact that should, as far as he’s concerned, make them allies. Unlike someone like Rick, he does not have preconceived notions about the androids and what they represent to the masses. Instead, he has formed his own opinion on the basis of his limited interactions. Although John is perhaps too empathic, the logic of the society he lives in suggests that he is fully human—perhaps even more human than other people given the level of empathy he displays. However, instead of being rewarded for such behavior, both androids and humans exploit and discriminate against him.
Themes
