BEg2 chapter 2 one thing the Reddit poster said…

[Michael Bailey]

…raised a valid point: the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder do
not really square with the behaviors of the people who are cruising on the
Aristide Olt with Maxine.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20370237

“With borderline personality disorder, you have an intense fear of
abandonment or instability, and you may have difficulty tolerating being
alone. Yet inappropriate anger, impulsiveness and frequent mood swings may
push others away, even though you want to have loving and lasting
relationships.”


None of the online stuff I’ve seen explains why they call it that, I mean,
why “borderline” in particular?
Not real impressed with that nomenclature for that set of symptoms tbh.


So I think it’s fair game for detournement by Pynchon.

The cruisers actually all seem like people with more money than sense who
are avoiding thinking about how they acquired that money or anything useful
they could do with it.

(Except Reg Despard, whether on spec or on whose behest he’s filming we
never learn…)(so I guess he’s ignoring the boundaries of privacy? and thus
a fitting participant?)

A-and that Joel Wiener - buyer-up of rent-controlled buildings &
converter-to-co-ops thru shady & nasty means (a real guy & apparently still
at it) - was the faux-simpatico dude whom Maxine became far too trusting &
perhaps fond of, to the point where she revealed certain secrets of her
trade -

Which somehow became known to the ACFE, precipitating her expulsion
therefrom -

Which (along with her acceptance of more and more shady client references
from Horst during their somewhat drink-sodden courtship) I can’t quite
bring myself to cite as evidence that she later took Igor’s money, but does
reveal a less-than-exemplary adherence to strictly constructed ethical
boundaries -

And that “boundary” thing may be what Pynchon is getting at with the
“Borderline” -

Borderline, boundary, same difference sort of -

Overstepping, like Horst with his dalliances ignoring behavioral boundaries
implied by his commitment to Maxine,

 and Windust with his “free market” idealism ignoring human suffering,

and Joel Wiener with his attachment to profit overstepping legal and
ethical boundaries to his rights versus his obligations vis a vis his
tenants

Or New York’s appetite for consumer goods creating mountains of garbage
that transgress into places that should be safe from it

Or the bribed approvers of the Deseret pool, leaving the space where they
meet the requirements of their jobs, to step into the line of “money money
who cares where it came from”

I mean, this sort of ignoring good-sense boundaries is a lot more
meaningful a definition of “borderline personality disorder” than the DSM
one, imho.

Heidi cancelled (at this point, deep into creative headspace beyond the
borderline of mundane sensible interpretation, I make bold to say) because
she realized the textbook definition didn’t make sense & that - as a
responsible academic - she doesn’t suffer from that sort of BPD.

Whereas Maxine, who, in this interpretation anyway, is going to spend the
book* learning about boundaries and borderlines, perhaps does. And thus
needs the cruise.


* a) if she does indeed turn down Igor’s cash, that’s her setting boundaries

b) in the passageway beneath Ice’s cellar, she learns about the limits of
the protection her Tomcat can provide

c) I think she is also going to reach and respect some limiting factors -
ie borderlines - regarding her ability to seek justice for Lester Traipse

d) and definitely is repeatedly reminded of the limits of what she can find
out about 9-11

e) also, she is able to use the Tomcat later in the book as she reminds Ice
of some boundaries to what he can get away with w/r/t Tallis.