"But nothing! Imagine it, Flora! It'll be like having a ... a balcony seat, looking out on other people's lives."
"But we have so little space now; won't it take up—"
"Of course not! How do you manage to stay so ignorant of technical progress? It's only an eighth of an inch thick. Think of it: that thick—" Harry indicated an eighth of an inch with his fingers—"and better color and detail than you've ever seen. It's all done with what they call an edge-excitation effect."
"Harry, the old screen is good enough. Couldn't we use the money for a trip—"
"How do you know if it's good enough? You never have it on. I have to turn it on myself when I get home."
Flora brought the trays and they ate silently, watching the screen. After dinner, Flora disposed of the trays, retracted the table and chairs, and extended the beds. They lay in the dark, not talking.
"It's a whole new system," Harry said suddenly. "The Full-wall people have their own programming scheme; they plan your whole day, wake you up at the right time with some lively music, give you breakfast menus to dial, then follow up with a good sitcom to get you into the day; then there's nap music, with subliminal hypnotics if you have trouble sleeping; then—"
"Harry—can I turn it off if I want to?"
"Turn it off?" Harry sounded puzzled. "The idea is to leave it on. That's why I'm having it installed for you, you know—so you can use it!"
"But sometimes I like to just think—"