In Snow Crash, the Metaverse is a virtual reality environment that takes the shape of an urban environment. When entering the Metaverse, people are able to walk down the streets, ride vehicles, and enter buildings as though they were in reality. In this sense, the Metaverse is a form of heightened reality. While inside the Metaverse, Hiro can be whomever he wants to be. He can alter his avatar so that he appears in a way that better suits his identity, or he can alter his appearance to hide from other people. The Metaverse offers a more flexible, more individualistic version of reality. This flexibility provides the Metaverse with an escapist element. When entering the Metaverse, people can be whoever they want to be. They can live out the fantasies and ambitions that they might not be able to carry out in their actual lives. This fantastical proposition inherent in the Metaverse ties into its history as a construction by a team of idealistic hackers. Young men like Hiro wanted the Metaverse to be a technological wonderland. They wanted people to live their best lives in the Metaverse, suggesting that the entire Metaverse is a symbol of the opportunity and hope offered by technology and hacking skills.