Neuromancer Chapter 1

Gibson describes Ninsei as a dank, filthy city. It is the center for illegal activity and is located in Chiba City, known for technological advancements and commerce. Ninsei, nicknamed Night City, is described as “a deranged experiment in social Darwinism, designed by a bored researcher who kept one thumb permanently on the fast-forward button” (7). The main character, Case, shares that the city is somewhat unlivable in its pace. Things happen so helplessly quick that one often finds his or herself mad or dead. The word “deranged” captures the essence of Night City, which seems to be that of perpetual disorder and chaos while addressing that it was the heart of the darker deeds (ex. Drug dealing, prostitution, etc).
Gibson uses metaphors like “The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel” (3) to link technology to the external setting. Case’s prior work is also referred to as “opening windows into rich fields of data” (5). These associations and others of the sort create an image of the matrix as a tangible grid of roads and buildings. This blurs the line between reality and cyberspace, representing Case’s own psychological disarray- something that is drug-induced but seems to also be due to Case’s loss of identity. After his nervous system was damaged by unhappy employers with wartime Russian mycotoxin (6), he is unable to cowboy the matrix. He loses his ability to maneuver cyberspace as he once could before. This loss chafes his mind to the point that his dreams are consumed by it (6).