Gibson describes the first setting in the story in the first sentence of the novel, immediately giving the reader a picture of what the city is like: “the sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel” (1). This image of a dead channel gives the reader a feeling that the city holds limited possibilities and has a tragic feeling about it. This passage further sets the tone for the sex, drugs, and murders introduced within a few pages.
In describing Case’s sleeping arrangements, Gibson refers to his room as a coffin in Night City. This causes the reader to believe that Night City is a place individuals go when they have lost all hope for success and would not mind if they lost their lives, effectively laying down in a coffin waiting for death to come. This is further proved when the reader learns of Case’s mutilation and his attempts of finding a cure, his last hope being in Chiba. Upon failing to find any cure, even within the black market, Case participates in activities that he admits to knowing will probably lead to his death, something that he seems to have accepted.
The description of Chiba’s Hilton is the first thing that Case comes across that is not characterized by dark imagery or negative connotations. It is only fitting that this is where he meets Armitage, the man who finds the cure for his mutilated body. This seems to be the beginning of a new life for Case, one that includes possibility for a better life.
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