Conclusion: To Be or Not to Be a Prisoner

Abstract

I am hanging out with Daniel in his cell. He is telling me, half embarrassed but smiling, about a food-related near accident he had in his cell recently

Daniel: I almost made a complete fool of myself a couple of days ago. I was going to make pasta, but I wasn’t concentrating and did it wrong. Sparks flew and the power went. I was sat there in the dark just saying “fuuuuuck.” I waited and waited for some of the other cells to call. After all, three or four cells are linked and thus the power goes at the same time. They are on the same circuit. Finally him next to me called. They came and, of course, they searched his cell, since the power had gone, and found the cable he uses to listen to music on his TV. He was really pissed off; he banged on the wall and shouted: “Fuck, Daniel, that’s the last time you make food! They took my music!” We are friends again now, heh heh. He’s back at it; he plays music for me as well. Listen. [Bangs hard on the wall] Volume! Turn it up! [Shouts through the wall. The music can soon be heard more clearly. Daniel smiles.] When it’s quiet in here, at night, you can hear everything quite clearly. I sorted it, heh heh. A couple of weeks ago, he was sitting in there and had smoked some cannabis. I shouted that I couldn’t hear well enough and that he had to do something. So he broke four of his window panes, heh heh. I can get people to do anything I like in here. Now I can hear everything clearly. But, I know all the songs pretty well, to put it mildly. He doesn’t have that many CDs and he has his favourites, to put it like that.