Edition note: An independent English essay on Neuromancer. Full-book spoilers.
Case once entered cyberspace as if leaving meat behind. After he stole from his employers, they damaged his nervous system so he could never jack in again.
In Chiba City, Armitage offers a cure. The repair works. Then Case learns that toxin sacs have been placed in his body; complete the job and they will be removed, refuse and the damage will return.
Cyberspace is luminous geometry, speed, and distance without weight. Case experiences his body as a prison of appetite, decay, and limitation. The matrix seems to let the mind become what it should have been.
Yet every escape depends on flesh: nerves carry the signal, drugs manage the nerves, food keeps them alive, and another body can interrupt the connection. Disdain for the body does not free Case from it. It makes bodily control a particularly effective weapon against him.
His former employers punish the body to close a professional future. Armitage restores that future by making the body collateral.
Case wants the operation. Without it, the work and intensity he values are unreachable. The offer therefore meets a real desire. Coercion enters not by replacing desire but by attaching a hidden consequence to it.
He cannot take the restored capacity and reconsider the mission. The toxin sacs ensure that every later choice occurs beneath the threat of losing himself again. A contract written into blood has no office to leave and no moment outside enforcement.
The arrangement is efficient because it turns care into leverage. Whoever can heal the injury also controls the fear of its return.
Molly Millions has altered eyes, retractable blades, and reflexes built for violence. She sells dangerous labor and has previously rented her unconscious body at a meat-puppet parlor to pay for augmentation.
Her history makes simple claims about bodily choice inadequate. She made decisions, but within markets ready to separate sensation, memory, sexuality, and survival into saleable parts. Consent can be real while the available terms remain brutal.
Molly nevertheless maintains boundaries more clearly than Case. She names what she will do, reads danger, and leaves when the relation no longer fits. The novel does not offer an untouched body as freedom. It asks whether a modified, employed, vulnerable body can still belong to the person living through it. Case must learn that entering the matrix is not the opposite of that question. It is one more place the question follows him.
版本说明：中文原作；简体与繁体同页切换。涉及完整剧情。
凯斯曾经进入赛博空间，仿佛终于把“肉身”留在身后。他偷窃雇主以后，对方损坏了他的神经系统，使他再也不能接入。
千叶城里，阿米蒂奇提出治疗。修复确实成功，凯斯随后才知道，体内还被放进毒素囊；完成任务便会移除，拒绝则让伤害重新回来。
赛博空间由发光几何、速度与没有重量的距离组成。凯斯把身体体验成欲望、腐烂与限制的监狱，矩阵则像是让心灵终于成为本来应该成为的东西。
可是，每次逃离都依靠肉身：神经传递信号，药物管理神经，食物维持它们，另一具身体也能中断连接。蔑视身体没有使凯斯自由，只让通过身体控制他格外有效。
旧雇主惩罚身体，关闭他的职业未来；阿米蒂奇修复未来，又把身体本身变成抵押物。
凯斯真心想做手术。没有它，他重视的工作与强度都无法抵达，所以这份条件确实回应了一项真实愿望。强迫并非通过取代愿望进入，而是给愿望附上一项隐瞒的后果。
他不能带着恢复的能力重新考虑任务。毒素囊保证以后每次选择都发生在“再次失去自己”的威胁下。写进血液的合同没有可以离开的办公室，也没有暂停执行的时刻。
这套安排格外高效，因为它把照料变成杠杆。能够治愈伤害的人，也就控制了伤害回来的恐惧。
莫莉·米利恩斯拥有改造眼睛、可伸缩刀刃与用于暴力的反射。她出售危险劳动，也曾为了支付身体强化费用，在“肉偶”场所出租失去意识的身体。
这段经历使简单的身体选择论不够使用。她确实作过决定，市场却早已准备好把感觉、记忆、性与生存拆成可以买卖的部分。同意可以真实存在，可供选择的条件仍然残酷。
莫莉仍比凯斯更清楚地维持边界。她说明自己愿意做什么，辨认风险，又在关系不再合适时离开。小说没有把未经改变的身体当成自由，而是追问：一具经过改造、受雇、脆弱的身体，能否仍属于在其中生活的人。凯斯必须发现，进入矩阵不是这个问题的反面，只是问题继续跟随他的又一处空间。
版本說明：中文原作；簡體與繁體同頁切換。涉及完整劇情。
凱斯曾經進入賽博空間，彷彿終於把「肉身」留在身後。他偷竊僱主以後，對方損壞了他的神經系統，使他再也不能接入。
千葉城裡，阿米蒂奇提出治療。修復確實成功，凱斯隨後才知道，體內還被放進毒素囊；完成任務便會移除，拒絕則讓傷害重新回來。
賽博空間由發光幾何、速度與沒有重量的距離組成。凱斯把身體體驗成慾望、腐爛與限制的監獄，矩陣則像是讓心靈終於成為本來應該成為的東西。
可是，每次逃離都依靠肉身：神經傳遞信號，藥物管理神經，食物維持它們，另一具身體也能中斷連接。蔑視身體沒有使凱斯自由，只讓通過身體控制他格外有效。
舊僱主懲罰身體，關閉他的職業未來；阿米蒂奇修復未來，又把身體本身變成抵押物。
凱斯真心想做手術。沒有它，他重視的工作與強度都無法抵達，所以這份條件確實回應了一項真實願望。強迫並非通過取代願望進入，而是給願望附上一項隱瞞的後果。
他不能帶著恢復的能力重新考慮任務。毒素囊保證以後每次選擇都發生在「再次失去自己」的威脅下。寫進血液的合同沒有可以離開的辦公室，也沒有暫停執行的時刻。
這套安排格外高效，因為它把照料變成槓桿。能夠治癒傷害的人，也就控制了傷害回來的恐懼。
莫莉·米利恩斯擁有改造眼睛、可伸縮刀刃與用於暴力的反射。她出售危險勞動，也曾為了支付身體強化費用，在「肉偶」場所出租失去意識的身體。
這段經歷使簡單的身體選擇論不夠使用。她確實作過決定，市場卻早已準備好把感覺、記憶、性與生存拆成可以買賣的部分。同意可以真實存在，可供選擇的條件仍然殘酷。
莫莉仍比凱斯更清楚地維持邊界。她說明自己願意做什麼，辨認風險，又在關係不再合適時離開。小說沒有把未經改變的身體當成自由，而是追問：一具經過改造、受僱、脆弱的身體，能否仍屬於在其中生活的人。凱斯必須發現，進入矩陣不是這個問題的反面，只是問題繼續跟隨他的又一處空間。