Many of his strangest and most appealing ideas came from such highs, but the habit also sucked away most of his income and had a large part in ruining his life - after his wife left him, he opened his large home as a house for drug users, drastically increasing his exposure to the stuff. Dick, who was an addict and substance abuser for a large portion of his life. This horrible depiction of the effects of drugs on the human mind is unfortunately all too personal for Philip K. This schism eventually becomes so large that Fred is declared to be mentally incompetent and released from his job, being placed in a New Path rehab facility. By this time, the drug's effects on Arctor's mind have become profound, causing a split between the hemispheres of his brain and thus between his two personalities, Fred and Bob. Fred therefore surveils the house, watching Bob go about his daily routine and interact with his housemates. The government agency doesn't actually know his real identity, as he wears a scramble suit and goes by the name 'Fred.' As a result of some anonymous phone calls, they assign Fred to watch Bob Arctor despite the slim possibility that he himself is Arctor (which, of course, he is). This novel follows his mental breakdown as a result of the drug, creating a dark world full of suspicion, conspiracies, backstabbing, and paranoia, all of which is only vaguely hinted at but which dominates the mood of the book.Īrctor seems to be a reasonably well-put-together guy at the beginning of the book, but that quickly changes. The story follows Robert Arctor, an undercover narcotics agent pretending to be a drug addict, but who has actually become an addict himself. Dick's darkest novels, and with good reason. Written by people who wish to remain anonymousĪ Scanner Darkly is one of Philip K. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick