id ▁and ▁sens ational ▁lives ▁of ▁people ▁on ▁the ▁fr inge ▁of ▁c afé ▁society ▁and ▁the ▁under world ". ▁The ▁minor ▁character ▁of ▁Jimmy ▁Mal loy , ▁a ▁junior ▁newspaper ▁rep orter , ▁serves ▁as ▁O ' H ara ’ s ▁alter ▁e go ; ▁he ▁has ▁the ▁style ▁of ▁a ▁Y ale ▁University ▁gradu ate ▁but ▁not ▁the ▁means . ▁ ▁The ▁title ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁der ives ▁from ▁the ▁pattern ▁of ▁tele phone ▁exchange ▁names ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁and ▁Canada . ▁Until ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁tele phone ▁ex changes ▁were ▁indicated ▁by ▁two ▁letters ▁and ▁commonly ▁referred ▁to ▁by ▁names ▁instead ▁of ▁by ▁numbers , ▁with ▁the ▁B U ▁represented ▁on ▁the ▁tele phone ▁d ial ▁as ▁" 2 8 ," ▁followed ▁by ▁four ▁digits . ▁In ▁December ▁ 1 9 3 0 ▁an ▁additional ▁digit ▁was ▁app ended ▁to ▁the ▁exchange ▁name . ▁B U t ter field ▁was ▁an ▁exchange ▁that ▁provided ▁service ▁to ▁Manh attan ' s ▁well - to - do ▁Upper ▁East ▁Side , ▁and ▁B U t ter field ▁ 8 ▁was ▁still ▁new ▁when ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁published . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁Cl if ton ▁F ad iman ' s ▁review ▁in ▁The ▁New ▁York er ▁was ▁titled ▁" Dis app oint ment ▁in ▁O ' H ara ", ▁and ▁Hey wood ▁Br oun ▁said ▁O ' H ara ' s ▁characters ▁all ▁spoke ▁with ▁the ▁same ▁voice . ▁Ernest ▁Hem ing way ▁supplied ▁the ▁publish