In the windowless labyrinth of Lumon Industries, where the sun is a myth and fluorescent lights hum like a low-grade migraine, there exists a painting titled . It depicts a scene of savage corporate warfare: the "Optics and Design" (O&D) department allegedly butchering the "Macrodata Refinement" (MDR) staff with the same precision they use to frame portraits of the company's founder, Kier Eagan.
Irving jumped, turning to find a man from O&D—Burt—standing just out of the light. Burt didn't look like a marauder. He looked tired. The Grim Barbarity of Optics and DesignSeveranc...
Irving looked back at the marauders in the painting. He realized then that the glowing ID cards weren't just lights; they were the only things the workers could see. They weren't attacking out of hate. They were attacking because the "Optics" of the room had been designed so they couldn't see anything else. "Let's change the design," Irving whispered. In the windowless labyrinth of Lumon Industries, where