Arrival

    If Number 6 thought that the only piece of information they wanted was the reason, or reasons behind his resignation, why not tell them and presumably go free?! As it is Number 6 is not a man for “selling out,” nor will he compromise his principles when pressure is brought to bear. He pronounces that he will not make any deals with them, that his life is his own, he’s resigned! And yet clearly the knowledge behind the Prisoner’s resignation is but the tip of the information they want. In an interview with Number 20 the manager of the Labour Exchange he asks Number 6 to fill in a questionnaire about his race, religion, hobbies, what he likes to read, what he likes to eat. What he was, what he wants to be, any possible family illnesses, and what his politics are. To which the Prisoner’s answer is to smash the manger’s Tinker-toy in a fit of anger and storm out of his office! And yet it would seem, that for the manager of the Labour Exchange to get the Prisoner to fill in the questionnaire about himself would be a wasted exercise, seeing as his successor in ‘Free For All’ tells Number 6 that they know everything about him already. But perhaps this is a follow up to when Number 2 tried to get the Prisoner to answer one simple question in the hope that all the rest of the information inside his head would quickly follow, it didn’t. And neither did it when the Prisoner showed his contempt for the questionnaire.

   Number 6 would never give anything away, it’s not in the man’s nature. But he did give up the time of his birth, having realised that they must have known that any way, and so saw no harm in giving up that piece of information. While at the same time realising the interrogation technique for want it was, and demonstrating that he is able to resist such a technique.

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