That night he could hardly wait to tell his news to Marvor—but Marvor acted as if he knew it already and was even made angry by the idea. "What is a slave?" he asked, in a flat, bad tone.
Cadnan told him of the work, the food, the shelter....
"And what is a master?" Marvor asked.
"A master is a master," Cadnan said. "A master is the one who knows."
"A master tells you what to do," Marvor said. "I am training and there is more training to come and then work. This is because of the masters."
"It is good," Cadnan said. "It is important."
Marvor shook his head, looking very much like a master himself. "What is important?" he said.
Cadnan thought for a minute. "Important is what a master needs for life," he said at last. "The masters need a slave for life, because a slave must push the buttons. Without this work the masters do not live."
"Then why do the masters not push the buttons?" Marvor said.
"It is good they do not," Cadnan said stubbornly. "A slave is a big thing, and Cadnan is only a little thing. It is better to be big than little."