Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Feed, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Corporations and Consumerism
Apathy, Happiness, and Satisfaction
Resistance
Class and Segregation
The Environment
Summary
Analysis
On Saturday, Titus and his dad go to test-drive upcars, and Violet joins. While Titus test-drives, Dad looks out the window, chatting with someone else and wincing whenever Titus or Violet says anything out loud.
Dad continues to maintain an emotional distance from his son, buying Titus lavish gifts, but seeming to get annoyed whenever Titus opens his mouth.
Themes
As Titus tries each car, his feed sends him banners showing him what it would be like to own the car—going on a romantic drive with Violet, going to the beach with bikini-clad women, etc. He gravitates toward the car that is “a little more sporty.”
Titus is showered in lies about how owning a car will solve all his problems in life. These claims are so hyperbolic that the actual experience of owning a car could only be a disappointment by comparison.
Themes
Violet asks Titus why his parents are buying him the car, and Titus says it’s because he went to the hospital. Violet pauses and says, “You’re lucky.” Titus mentions going to court to sue the hacker, and Violet looks surprised—she reminds him that the hacker was beaten to death by the police. The chapter ends with Titus announcing, “I bought the Dodge.”
