Again, Frank’s use of the oracle makes him reflect on people’s interdependence, as he wonders about his and other people’s role in bringing about a third world war. He also reflects on his own relative “small[ness],” which calls back to Juliana’s musings about the “tiny lives” people lead in the Rocky Mountain States. Frank’s resolve to make his own “small” life meaningful then comes directly out of his overall sense of powerlessness. This passage is also important because it adds tension to the rest of the novel—the “hour of doom” is imminent, but it’s unclear when, exactly, it will arrive or what it will entail.