What evidence from the radio broadcast War of the Worlds supports the
theme that human vanity can cause problems?
A. PHILLIPS: Good heavens, something's wriggling out of the shadow
like a gray snake. Now it's another one, and another. They look like
tentacles to me. There, I can see the thing's body. It's large, large
as a bear and it glistens like wet leather.
OB. PIERSON: I can give you no authoritative information - either as
to their nature, their origin, or their purposes here on earth. Of their
destructive instrument I might venture some conjectural
explanation. For want of a better term, I shall refer to the
mysterious weapon as a heat ray.
OC. PHILLIPS: Can you tell us the meaning of that scraping noise
inside the thing?
PIERSON: Possibly the unequal cooling of its surface.
D. PHILLIPS: Then you're quite convinced as a scientist that living
intelligence as we know it does not exist on Mars?
PIERSON: I'd say the chances against it are a thousand to one.