City of Glass II

"For every soul lost in this particular hell, there are several others locked inside madness-unable to exit to the world that stands at the treshold of their bodies. Even though they seem to be there, they cannot be counted as present. The man, for example, who goes everywhere with a set of drumsticks, pounding the pavement with them in a reckless, nonsensical rhythm, stooped over awkwardly as he advances along the street, beating and beating away at the cement. Perhaps he thinks he is doing important work. Perhaps, if he did not do waht he did, the city would fall apart. Perhaps the moon would spin out if its orbit and come crashing into earth."

Paul Auster en City of Glass