A black-market supplier who lives and works in Chiba. Case often works for him, but begins the novel worried that Wage will kill him because he owes Wage money. Wage does confront Case in the Chat over his debt, but is happy to accept payment, leaving Case rattled but physically unscathed.
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Wage Character Timeline in Neuromancer
The timeline below shows where the character Wage appears in Neuromancer. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...Japan, that primarily caters to expats. The bartender, Ratz, wonders if he has business with Wage, who was in the bar earlier in the day. Case observes Ratz, whose “ugliness was...
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...at his table, offers him a cigarette, and asks how he’s doing. She tells him Wage, his sometimes employer, wants to hurt him over a debt. Case knows other people owe...
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...fifty New Yen. She tries to turn it down, insisting he needs it to pay Wage back, but eventually takes the money and leaves.
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...to crumble,” which excites him. The week before he’d delayed a sale to make money; Wage, his supplier, disliked this, and might have put a hit out on Case.
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...DNA. Case meets him in his office, and tells Julie that a friend told him Wage wants to kill him. Julie first cautions Case that it isn’t “always easy to know...
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Case returns to the Chat looking for Wage, but doesn’t find him. Back outside, he senses he is being followed again. He dashes...
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...about a fight in the arcade—Ratz heard a girl, Molly, cut up a security guard. Wage enters the Chat with two men. Although Wage is here for Case, Ratz fights back,...
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Wage asks who told Case that Wage was after him. Case doesn’t answer but gives Wage...
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...black, wearing mirrored glasses, and pointing a fletcher at him. She explains she isn’t with Wage, like he had thought. She’s come to collect him for her employer. She explains she...
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Chapter 2
After seeing Julie, Case finds Wage and pays off the last of his debt with money gifted from Armitage. Case takes...
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