The early twenty-first century was an age of extraordinary abundance in which almost everyone nevertheless felt they were running out of something. Food was thrown away while people went hungry. Houses stood empty while people slept outside them. Machines capable of connecting every human being on Earth were used primarily to make them angry at strangers. Vast fortunes were accumulated by people who could not possibly spend them, while everyone else was advised to cancel minor luxuries and work harder. Governments increasingly behaved like corporations, corporations increasingly performed the functions of governments, and nobody seemed particularly alarmed by the distinction disappearing. The planet was visibly becoming less hospitable to human life, but addressing this was generally considered too expensive. Instead, considerable resources were devoted to making advertisements more personally relevant. None of this was regarded as evidence that the system was failing. On the contrary, by the standards of the system, it was functioning within specified parameters.