The bad joke Starling repeats implies that Buffalo Bill is sexually assaulting his victims, though that is not actually the case. A few notable serial killers skinned their victims, the most notable of which was Ed Gein. Gein was active in the 1940s and 1950s, and his gruesome legacy saturated the media in the decades following his arrest. Although Buffalo Bill is not an Ed Gein clone, they have a lot in common, as will become apparent over the course of the novel.