Stepping into Times Square today, a visitor familiar with "The Last Days of Night" might feel a jarring sense of amplified chaos compared to the nascent, electrifying wonder described in the novel. While the modern spectacle bombards the senses with digital noise and relentless advertising, the Times Square of 1893, as imagined in the book, held a quieter, almost apprehensive excitement. It was a space on the cusp of transformation, mirroring the characters' own ambitions and anxieties as they navigated a world being reshaped by technological innovation. The sheer density of people remains a constant, but where today's crowds are largely anonymous and transient, the novel hints at a more interwoven community, aware of the risks and rewards inherent in this burgeoning public space. The glow of electric lights, now ubiquitous, would have then felt like a tangible manifestation of progress, casting long shadows that hinted at both the promise and the potential darkness of a new era, much like the characters' intertwined fates.