Fear and Loathing is not a happy story. In 1974, Oscar Zeta Acosta (Dr. Gonzo) disappeared in Mexico. He was never found—presumed dead, likely murdered by drug cartel associates or swept away by the sea he loved. Thompson was devastated.

Duke invents a terrifying story about a drug made from the adrenaline of a terrified donor. While largely fictional (an extreme metaphor), it represents the 60s establishment’s fear of freaks—the idea that pleasure requires violent extraction.

The novel’s timeline is specific: 1971. The Manson murders are fresh. Altamont is a scar. The Beatles have broken up. Richard Nixon is in the White House. The optimism of the Summer of Love has curdled into the stench of tear gas and freeway asphalt.