I have a question. I'm mid-way through Gravity's Rainbow, and I think I'm going to make it this time. One of the things that I've been curious about is why Slothrop says "a-and" all of the time. Does he stutter, perhaps when he's nervous (he seems to say "a-and" rather than "and" at stressful times) or am I missing something? Thanks for any help you can offer.