The question of Vaughn's existence is an interesting debate within this novel. I have found myself questioning James Ballard's statements about the scars on Vaughn's body. Ballard more often than not describes the scars on Vaughn's body in extraordinary detail, but Vaughn would have needed to be completely naked for Ballard to know what his scars look like. Ballard describes "His hard stomach was marked by a fretwork of scars. On his right hip the scars formed a mould waiting for my fingertips" (149). No where did it say that Vaughn was not wearing a shirt. One could argue that this is Ballard merely fantasizing about Vaughn's scarred body, however his descriptions are consistent whenever he is describing them. Ballard also describes them to the reader in absolutes. When these lines are read there is no question that this is not what Vaughn's body looks like. This makes me believe that because Ballard claims to know everything about Vaughn's body and past injuries Ballard may be conjuring him up. I then have to question Ballard's knowledge of Vaughn's mind and personality, but that does not seem to work as well as the physical descriptions.