He can never be like Punk and act out his impulses without questioning. I never liked to be controlled, I never wanted to control anyone. At times, it seems as if this novel is a revenge fantasy. Other times, it seems like an homage. Fundamentally, however, this novel is about a man's attempt to understand his life, and through the writing of this novel, Jeffrey undergoes his transformation.
Novelists are manipulators, troublemakers.
Throughout the entire book, Jeffrey reacts passively and helplessly to things going on around him. If that was Rothenberg's aim for this novel, he has certainly succeeded.