Humpty Dumpty In Oakland

Set In The San Francisco Bay Area In The Late 1950s, Humpty Dumpty In Oakland Is A Tragicomedy Of Misunderstandings Among Used Car Dealers And Real-estate Salesmen: The Small-time, Struggling Individuals For Whom Philip K. Dick Always Reserved His Greatest Sympathy. Jim Fergesson, An Elderly Garage Owner With A Heart Condition, Is About To Sell Up And Retire; Al Miller Is A Somewhat Feckless Mechanic Who Sublets Part Of Jim's Lot And Finds His Livelihood Threatened By The Decision To Sell; Chris Harman Is A Record Company Owner Who For Years Has Relied On Fergesson To Maintain His Cars. When Harman Hears Of Fergesson's Impending Retirement He Tips Him Off To What He Says Is A Cast-iron Business Proposition: A Development In Nearby Marin County With An Opening For A Garage. Al Miller, Though, Is Convinced That Harman Is A Crook, Out To Fleece Fergesson Of His Life's Savings. As Much As He Resents Fergesson He Can't Bear To See That Happen And - Denying To Himself All The Time What He Is Doing - He Sets Out To Thwart Harman.