--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Excerpted From Chapter One I decided…" description: "\"“Excerpted From Chapter One I decided staying put in the alley was preferable to keeping the dead guy company, so I went outside and lit a Lucky Strike..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/h-p-oliver-47149_business_excerpted-from-chapter-one-i-decided-sta_1788213.jpg" --- # Excerpted From Chapter One I decided staying put in the… ![“Excerpted From Chapter One I decided staying put in the alley was preferable to keeping the dead guy company, so I went outside and lit a Lucky Strike. The night air had gotten damper and chillier during the short time I was in the warehouse, or maybe it was just me. Wisps of lacy fog were now…” quote by H.P. Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/h-p-oliver-47149_business_excerpted-from-chapter-one-i-decided-sta_1788213.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/h-p-oliver-47149_business_excerpted-from-chapter-one-i-decided-sta_1788213.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/h-p-oliver-47149_business_excerpted-from-chapter-one-i-decided-sta_1788213.jpg) > ““Excerpted From Chapter One I decided staying put in the alley was preferable to keeping the dead guy company, so I went outside and lit a Lucky Strike. The night air had gotten damper and chillier during the short time I was in the warehouse, or maybe it was just me. Wisps of lacy fog were now sinking into the alley, and a skulking cat in search of dinner moved slowly along the opposite wall until he noticed me. He scurried off in a furry blur, eager to be far away from the evil invading his domain. The cat had better sense than me and I wished I could follow his example.”” [H.P. Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-oliver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator prefers solitude over companionship with death, observing a cat's instinctive self‑preservation. **In simple terms:** Choosing solitude over confronting death. Key Takeaway Value instinct over forced companionship. Themes solitude death instinct Mood contemplative lonely Type narrative reflective When to use this quote - night walk - urban loneliness - observing animals Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does the cat symbolize? - Why avoid the dead? A Different Perspective Loneliness may mask deeper fear of connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alley/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Cat Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat-better-1578500/) [Excerpted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excerpted-1923000/) [Excerpted Chapter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excerpted-chapter-1922999/) [Historical-mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-mystery/) [San francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san-francisco/) [Staying Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staying-alley-1923001/) ## Related quotes > [“Excerpted From Chapter One “Rock of Ages” floated lightly down the first floor corridor of the Hollywood Hotel’s west wing. It was Sunday morning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-oliver/excerpted-from-chapter-one-rock-of-ages-floated-lightly-down-the/) [H.P. 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