Dallas, who had considered becoming a priest, now spends much of his time combating noise pollution in his South Bronx community. Though his writings reflect his religious beliefs, he has still captured the feeling that frequently overcomes people who are unable to go on with their lives because noise has so overwhelmed them. When people cannot get their neighbors to stop blasting the television or cannot persuade the nearby store owner to repair the noisy cooling unit, they feel they are no longer in control of their own lives. They begin to center their daily activities around the parts of their homes that are further from the noise source or stay out later on evenings that their neighbors have loud parties. One might wonder why these people have not asked for some assistance with the noise problem. Why haven’t they contacted the landlord, the police, or the department of environmental protection? Many report they have but to no avail.