Joseph dreads going home. Relationships between people of Joseph’s generation and their parents are strained because the “olds feel they irretrievably fucked up the world, then allowed us to be born into it” (53). Even worse, the older generation is excused from serving on the Wall because of their age. Their children do the service for them, a situation that strikes Joseph as unfair. Some people feel nostalgia for what life was like before the Change. The beaches of the world drowned or crumbled with the sea level rose, but there are still people who collect memorabilia or watch media with a beach setting. Joseph’s parents are in this group. They wait until he leaves to watch a surfing movie.

Relations with old school friends aren’t any better. The only thing to talk about is the Wall. Talking to these friends in the pub, Joseph realizes the Captain is among the strictest company leaders. Joseph begins to take pride in being in a company like that. The other people in the pub avoid the Defenders. The risk of death is so high that Defenders have little to lose in a fight with a civilian.