Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
1
167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
32
After
he
was
settled,
Barrent
received
a
visit
from
Danis
Foeren
and
Joe.
Foeren
had
a
temporary
job
on
the
docks
unloading
fishing
boats.
Joe
had
organized
a
nightly
pokra
game
among
the
government
workers
of
Tetrahyde.
Neither
man
had
moved
much
in
status;
with
no
kills
to
their
credit,
they
had
progressed
only
as
far
as
Second
Class
Resident.
They
were
nervous
about
meeting
socially
with
a
Free
Citizen,
but
Barrent
put
them
at
ease.
They
were
the
only
friends
he
had
on
Omega,
and
he
had
no
intention
of
losing
them
over
a
question
of
social
position.
Barrent
was
unable
to
learn
very
much
from
them
about
the
laws
and
customs
of
Tetrahyde.
Even
Joe
hadn't
been
able
to
find
out
anything
definite
from
his
friends
in
government
service.
On
Omega,
the
law
was
kept
secret.
Older
residents
used
their
knowledge
of
the
law
to
enforce
their
rule
over
the
newcomers.
This
system
was
condoned
and
reinforced
by
the
doctrine
of
the
inequality
of
all
men,
which
lay
at
the
heart
of
the
Omegan
legal
system.
Through
planned
inequality
and
enforced
ignorance,
power
and
status
remained
in
the
hands
of
the
older
residents.
Of
course,
all
social
movement
upward
couldn't
be
stopped.
But
it
could
be
retarded,
discouraged,
and
made
exceedingly
dangerous.
The
way
one
encountered
the
laws
and
customs
of
Omega
was
through
a
risky
process
of
trial
and
error.
Although
the
Antidote
Shop
took
up
most
of
his
time,
Barrent
persisted
in
his
efforts
to
locate
the
girl.
He
was
unable
to
find
a
hint
that
she
even
existed.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
