The characters of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch live in a world dominated by the drug Can-D, and its eventual rival, Chew-Z. Can-D allows individuals to project themselves onto figurines in a miniature environment in order to live out different lives, while Chew-Z frees the mind indefinitely, coming with both rewards and risks. Ultimately, the principle behind this applies to digital imaging in that, as digital imaging progresses, the more realistic our false worlds become. In turn, we are more easily entrenched within these worlds. At the end of the book, the characters are left wondering if they've come out of their false realities, which can be likened to situations such as the death of the boy in Korea who did not stop playing World of Warcraft to nourish himself. As our technology increases, we can experience so much more, but also it comes with new challenges of identity and of priorities.