ɪstˈæblɪʃɪŋ ðə mˈuːd ʌvðə ɹˈɛst ʌvðə bˈʊk, ˈoʊbə dᵻskɹˈaɪbz hjˈuːmənz æz hiː ɪz sˈɛpɹət fɹʌm ðˌɛm, dᵻskɹˈaɪbɪŋ ðˌɛm fˈuːlɪʃli ænd ˈɔːlweɪz pɚplˈɛkst baɪ hjˈuːmənz.
Establishing the mood of the rest of the book, Ōba describes humans as he is separate from them, describing them foolishly and always perplexed by humans.