Instead of repeating what has already been said about DADOES, (yes, I think it is a great novel, and the philosophic aspects such as Mercerism, the Mood Organ and the nature of humanity are really captivating...) I'd like to share an insight with you which I stumbled across while reading a short story written by E.A.Poe, "The Black Cat": The characters in DADOES use pets to prove to themselves that they are still human. Animals are nothing but a means of showing how much empathy and compassion there is in the depths of the owner's hearts. BUT the main character in Poe's "Black Cat" does exactly the same: He claims to be sensitive and human because he was fond of animals all along - only to evolve into a murderous, unfeeling monster that kills its own wife in the end. Rick Deckard acts along the same lines: He "cares" for his pets (or rather the status he gains by owning them), but is able to kill androits nevertheless. To be fond of animals isn't a good means of proving one's empathy, as it seems. The commander of the terrible KZ Auschwitz in WW2 wrote in his diary how he cried bitter tears when he was 8 years old because his cat died, trying to prove what a compassionate and sensitive person he was. Nevertheless he was able to kill millions of people (even children) without hesitation.