Crab Monsters and the Absorption of Minds
Dr. Karl Weigand:
Any matter, therefore, that the crab eats will be assimilated in its body as solid energy, becoming part of the crab.
Martha Hunter:
Like the bodies of the dead men?
Dr. Karl Weigand:
Yes - and their brain tissue, which, after all, is nothing more than a storage house for electrical impulses.
Dale Drewer:
That means that the crab can eat his victim's brain, absorbing his mind intact and working.
Dr. Karl Weigand:
It's as good a theory as any other to explain what's happened.
Martha Hunter:
But, Doctor, that theory doesn't explain why Jules and Carson's minds have turned against us.
Dale Drewer:
Preservation of the species. Once they were men; now they are land crabs.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Debate on Capturing a Dangerous Specimen
Martha Hunter:
Doctor, you're not going to suggest that we save it for science? That would be suicide!
Dr. Karl Weigand:
No, thank you, Martha. I have no ambition toward becoming a mad scientist, but I do think we ought to try and capture the thing. Would you not like to examine a live specimen?
Martha Hunter:
Certainly I would, but I had a chance to see how the "specimen" examined the lab wall last night.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Discussion of Life and Death Concepts
Hank Chapman:
What does it mean, Doctor?
Dr. Karl Weigand:
He is dead.
Dale Drewer:
But he spoke, Carl.
Hank Chapman:
Is this supposed to be a ghost story?:
Dr. Karl Weigand:
No. No, I do not believe in ghosts. We are dealing with a man who is dead, but whose voice and memory live. How this can be I do not know, but its implications are far more terrible than any ghost could ever be.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Recognition of a Familiar Voice
Martha Hunter:
Jim! But, wh...
Dr. James Carson:
So you heard it, too.
Martha Hunter:
Yes, it was Oliver McLane's voice.
Dr. James Carson:
He called me as plain as day.
Martha Hunter:
Strange... because I only heard him call my name.
Dr. James Carson:
How could the Navy search this whole island and miss a survivor?
Martha Hunter:
If he is a survivor.
Dr. James Carson:
What does that mean? You heard him as well as I.
Martha Hunter:
Someone could have been imitating his voice.
Dr. James Carson:
But who would do that?
Martha Hunter:
I don't know, but I do know that McLane's dead!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
