The Rise and Fall of Great PowersAs Tooly strolled back downtown, she glanced at other buildings. No matter how she imagined their insides parties veering out of control, kitchens with faucets running, angry couples playing cards for real money the truth was always more peculiar. In a vertical city, cramped dwellings were the only territory unreservedly reserved, each home an intimate fortress. Yet they were so easy to penetrate. ("Don't want to intrude, but I used to live here.