Nora, Daniel and Dr. Croft are all fascinated by the effects of ether, with which Daniel is familiar as a "dinner party drug." Although their interest in it is academic, Nora and Daniel both find their research of ether a pleasant distraction from the stress of Daniel's situation. Have you ever used any activity as a distraction, as Nora and Daniel do with their work? Do you see parallels between this kind of behavior and the recreational use of mind-altering substances?