Every coin has two sides-- heads and tails, and although each side may look different, the sides are a part of the same coin. One cannot have either side without the other. Although Wilbur Mercer and Buster Friendly have conflicting purposes in the novel, their methods for influencing society are comparable. Mercer and Buster may seem like opposites, but, in truth, they are more alike than one might believe. The people consider Mercer and Buster the two most important people in their society (Dick 65). They both “[fight] for control” of the minds of the people in that they each provide false realities, Mercer through the empathy box and Buster through his “guffaws and off-the-cut jibes” (70). Mercer and Buster are also frauds since they…show more content… He is a god-like figure who shows the people of the society that they are never alone, because he is always with them (Dick 164). When one fuses with Mercer, the “mutual babble” of other people within the fusion breaks “the illusion of aloneness” (22). Mercer represents the collective empathy that brings the human race together, which is something that sets the humans and androids apart (193). He prevents humans from regarding androids as equals. Buster, being an android, serves as a reflection of the thoughts of the androids. Androids view Mercerism as the way humans prove they feel empathy, and, since empathy stands in the way of androids becoming human, logically, androids want Mercerism dismantled (Dick 193). Buster often “ridicule[s] the empathy boxes” in “subtle” ways (69) and releases a scathing exposé on the “swindle” of Mercerism. Underestimating humanity’s reliance on empathy, Buster erroneously presumes it will destroy the humans’ belief in Mercer (193). Mercer and Buster serve different purposes in the novel, but they also share qualities that overshadow the differences. Deceit fuels their influence over the people. Their differences reside in their respective approaches to influencing-- one creates and one
