"Only in the sense that he is one creature. If we look at him as the whole creation of a world—many creatures—he is not so crazy. He is simply conservative. He is bound to progress and that progress is going to be the kind that lasts, because it was won in a struggle."
"What on earth is progress?" Sandra asked. "It looks to me, if that is progress, that it's a rather crazy thing—"
"Progress is simply the settlement of a lot of arguments. Every time we settle one argument we find another and progress goes on. At home, progress was blocked by the extract, which made all minds in unison, blocked all argument, ended criminality, made the whole race one individual. The antidote which I gave myself preserved progress by allowing one individual, at least, a different viewpoint. I proved my individuality by getting thrown in jail. You fell in love and became an individualist by warning me of a plot to kill me. Progress continued when your father chased me into The Black Hole—"
"Hello! Hello out there! Are you all right?" Adstrom's voice boomed from the locks of his space ship.
"Perfectly!" Karns replied.
"Ah! A moment ago I wanted to kill you! Now, strangely enough, I feel very grateful toward you for—er—saving Sandra. You will be pardoned of all your crimes."
"He didn't kidnap me, Father," Sandra explained as they entered the ship.
"He has done plenty to the earth! He connected his laboratory with a food factory so that the antidote he made has been spread all over the world in food! He's destroyed the unity of the world! He ought to go to jail, but the jailer's resigned because he had too much to do."
"Marmaduke has brought progress back to the world, Father!"
"Progress! Bah! He's turned the world into a turmoil! The whole population is fighting. The planet's in an uproar. I'll abdicate rather than rule the mess. Let Marmaduke try to straighten it out!"