the plot takes place in the city of Cologne, a direct reflection of Böll's personal history. Böll was born in Cologne and saw it taken over by the Nazis then bombed in its entirety by the Allies towards the end of the war. Cologne was a cultural capital of Germany and the bombing not only destroyed the entire city, but also killed 20,000 civilians. In the city, much of the action takes place in the Prince Heinrich Hotel, where Robert plays billiards every weekday. The hotel, and more specifically the billiard room, is a place around which Robert structures his routine. After the unsettling stupidity of the war, Robert relishes his routine and the habits he needs to make his life ordered again. He doesn't even really play billiards; "for some time now he had given up playing according to the rules, trying for runs, racking up points," (p. 31). For Robert, it's not about winning or losing, it's the physics of the game, of the action and reaction and the laws of science that stay constant no matter what. "Energy of the blow imparted to the ball by cue, plus a little friction, question of degree…and behold, impulse was converted into momentary figures," (p. 31) as the balls bounce off of each other. In the billiards room, Robert is able to do everything precisely how he wants, in his ordered fashion, contrasting to the world outside the hotel where Robert had to deal with the unpredictable stupidity of war. Even when he was in the war, he reduced his demolitions to stress and give. "He's never been interested in the creative side of architecture," Joseph observes about his father. "Only in the formulas," (p. 192). Robert thus goes to the Hotel on his precise schedule to play a game of scientific certainty as he tries to escape from the memories of war and regain some sort of certainty in his life. St. Anthony Abbey, though not a place where much of the plot takes place, is a setting that is pivotal in the Faehmel family. Heinrich Faehmel built it as a budding young architect. In fact, it was his first commission after he entered a design competition against better-known architects and won. Many years later, in the waning days of World War II, his son Robert demolished the abbey. He was in the German army under the command of