"My boy," Ryumin said, "there’s a whole world behind this screen. The lines have blurred so much that mere matters of life and death have to take a back seat. There are those among us whose brains broke down years ago: they totter along on investments and programmed routines. If the fleshies knew, they’d declare them legally dead. But we’re not telling." He smiled. "Think of us as angels, Mr. Dze. Spirits on the wires. Sometimes it’s easier that way."