[ The question gets a long pause out of Ford, careful and considering. It's not that Oscar is wrong, exactly, but that feels like too simple a way of looking at it. ]

It's possible, but there are different degrees of being 'trapped'. Sodder certainly controls Deerington to a degree none of us could hope to compete with. But if Bill is right--

[ Ford's tone suggests that he doesn't think it's likely Bill is wrong. ]

--then it's true that those higher powers he mentioned - I've been thinking of them as Agents, like publicity agents - are also trapping Sodder.

The problem is that all of us being prisoners doesn't necessarily mean she has any degree of concern or care for us.