 Munger continues to fight and, hitchhiking home from a fight in Salt Lake City alone, he is picked up by two young women who eject him from the car on a stretch of highway in the dark of night after an awkward exchange revealing Munger's lustful longing.The novel ends with the suggestion that Ernie Munger may be starting down the same desperate and well-worn path as Billy Tully.In a 1969 interview with "Life" magazine, Leonard Gardner explained the meaning of the title.