# I explained — The Cosmic Computer > Chapter companion for The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper. ## What happens Conn Maxwell returns to his home planet Poictesme after six years at the University on Terra. He is greeted by a crowd in Litchfield, including his family, Mayor Kurt Fawzi, Colonel Zareff, and others. The planet has fallen into decay after the war, and the townspeople are eager to hear if Conn has discovered the location of a rumored treasure—the secret of Merlin. Conn observes the economic decline and his father's scavenging business, and he grapples with what to tell them. ## Themes in this chapter ### Economic Decline and Revival Poictesme's post-war decay is vividly depicted through crumbling infrastructure, abandoned military bases, and a scavenger economy; Conn's father profits from selling war surplus. ### Myth vs. Reality The townspeople hope Conn has found the legendary Merlin treasure, but Conn sees the reality of decay and must decide what to tell them. ### Post-War Society The chapter explores the aftermath of the System States War, with a planet left impoverished, its people clinging to rumors of a hidden treasure for salvation. ## Character check-ins ### Conn Maxwell Returns to Litchfield after six years on Terra, sees his home with new eyes, and is greeted by a hopeful crowd. ### Rodney Maxwell Conn's father, a scavenger who sells war surplus; wears a black suit with a pistol, and shows anxiety about what Conn will reveal. ### Flora Conn's sister, engaged to Wade Lucas, wears a new dress and a Zarathustra sunstone ring. ### Kurt Fawzi Mayor of Litchfield, eager to ask Conn about the treasure, arranges a welcome dinner. ### Colonel Klem Zareff Old veteran from Ashmodai, wears a System States rosette, complains about the melon crop and poverty. ### Tom Brangwyn Town marshal, red-faced and bulky, asks Conn if he found anything definite. ### Judge Ledue Present at the dock, shakes hands with Conn. ### Professor Dolf Kellton Old professor from Litchfield Academy, proud of Conn's achievements. ## Key lines > The fountains are dusty in the Graveyard of Dreams; The hinges are rusty, they swing with tiny screams. Conn recalls a poem about dusty fountains, reflecting on Poictesme as a junkyard of empire rather than a graveyard of dreams. _Highlights the theme of decay and lost hope._ > This isn't Terra, and we aren't selling it by the drink. We're selling it at Storisende Spaceport, for what the freighter captains pay us. You've been away too long, Conn. You've forgotten what it's like to live in a poorhouse. Colonel Zareff reminds Conn that Poictesme's brandy is sold cheaply at the spaceport, contrasting with Terra's high prices. _Emphasizes the economic disparity between the core and the periphery._ > It always bothered me that nobody found any underground attack-shelters. I took a second look, and sure enough, I found them, right underneath, mined out of the solid rock. Rodney Maxwell explains how he discovered hidden underground shelters at the old Tenth Army Headquarters, yielding valuable war surplus. _Illustrates the scavenger economy and resourcefulness of the locals._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/i - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters