Billy Pilgrim wakes up in chapter six after spending the night pumped up on morphine. He awakes very fatigued and sore, but he feels a strange "pull" coming behind him. Pilgrim describes it as, "animal magnetism which made him shiver and itch," (Vonnegut, 136). This odd description of "animal magnetism" gives it the feel of a living power. The lumps were pea-shaped and a small horseshoe shape. This new discoveries bring up many questions since they "could work miracles for him." The only catch around them is that he could not inquire what these beastly objects were.
The lumps in Billy's coat are put there by Vonnegut for more of a morality lesson rather than usefulness. Not able to inquire about the living, animal trinkets makes for a very inhuman response from Billy who is complacent with not knowing. Even today, all living things share a curiosity as an inborn instinct. Vonnegut describes the forces like an animal; however, these lumps require oneself to destroy the living or beastly quality of curiosity and knowledge. The polarity and contradiction associated with the lumps in Billy's coat makes one wonder if it is better to break the rules to discover the truth.
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