Utilities

Dr. Martha Louise Rogers has her electricity cut off because she can't pay the bill. Bob Hunt notices and helps coordinate neighbor contributions to cover the debt. The bill is paid entirely in coins, a plan that shocks the clerk, who is later told that payments in excess of a certain coin quantity are not accepted.

The electric company fails to reconnect the power due to a communications snafu. The elderly woman is taken to the hospital suffering from hypothermia.

Hunt begins a vendetta, sabotaging assorted support systems across the city in protest of the outages. His actions target critical infrastructure and everyday services, escalating the conflict between citizens and the utilities. The sabotage triggers widespread disruptions and draws intense media attention.

To avoid detection at one site, Hunt flattens himself against a wall with wet paint, leaving the impression of a hand with one raised finger in the paint. News media discover the detail and nickname the saboteur 'The Finger'.

When the phone company is hit, it releases a public statement denying that long-distance calls can be made without a charge because of sabotage to its billing records. The claim heightens public curiosity and fuels speculation about who is behind the disruptions.

A girl makes an overseas call and plays a Styx double album over the phone, illustrating the unintended effects of the sabotaged billing system. The stunt demonstrates the public's willingness to exploit the system and underscores the stakes of the conflict.

In a long courtroom hearing, a proposed rate hike by Kenneth Knight and Eastern Gas & Electric is to be voted on by a public commission. Citizens are given a chance to speak, and Hunt publicly confesses: 'I am The Finger.' The confession electrifies the room and sets the stage for a dramatic confrontation.

Many others in the courtroom rise to claim they are The Finger, in a Spartacus-style gesture. Their masses solidarity amplifies the opposition to the rate hike and highlights the public's anger toward the utility.

Police officer Marion Edwards bursts in to arrest Hunt as the commission nears its decision. She reveals that Knight has been destroying his own substations to gain public sympathy.

The lights of the city go dark, signaling Knight's manipulation coming to light. Spectators in the courthouse celebrate the blackout as the scheme is exposed.