lain.and.stephenson >> Knights and Morlocks

Class differences can be found when analyzing Serial Experiments Lain. Most people during the time period of Lain are computer savvy, and it would appear that in this society, most people possess a Navi in some shape or form. The difference here is that different models of Navis, as well as other various computer components, help to determine one’s status in the Lain world. Since class definitions are determined by computer technology, it is then possible to relate the most tech savvy users of all, the Knights, to Stephenson’s Morlocks concept. The Morlocks, "who keep the technological wheels turning" (Stephenson, 58) are like the Knights; a secret society of hackers who control the Wired. Members include businessmen, housewives, and regular computer nerds. Like the Morlocks, the Knights "are in the minority, and they are running the show, because they know how everything works" (Stephenson, 58). What is interesting about the Knights it that, while the group itself is an elite group in the Wired, in the real world, its members are of different social classes. This shows how the Wired blurs the line between what is real and what is imagined, and that the Wired can allow one to flourish in a whole new class system. In Lain, the power of one’s Navi determines one’s social power in the Wired.