The book's main setting is the New York suburb of Brooklyn. Unlike the Brooklyn of today, Selby represents the area as full of poor people and outsiders who resort to violence to alleviate boredom and misery. The smaller setting within Brooklyn, highlights the constant conflict the main characters have with themselves and the people who they feel are infringing on their space. For example, the novel starts in a bar called Greeks and describes how the group of locals are angry at the records the sailors play on the jukebox. They later get rid of the anger by beating one of the sailors unconscious.