Lindsay felt chagrin. Vetterling’s plays had lost all punch since he had become a Zen Serotonist. Lindsay would have told the girl as much, but he felt too much shadowy guilt at the tragic course of Vetterling’s career. Because of politics, Vetterling had spent years as a nonperson. Lindsay could not blame the dramatist for choosing peace at any price. "Stripping’s bad form, these days," he said. "It’s lost all meaning. People do it just to punctuate a conversation."