After making the point that the pickup game is something to be reckoned with, Neil Strauss finds himself in the middle of a power struggle in this underground community. These men have discovered ways to convince women to want them, now they are trying to profit off this skill set. To reap the benefits of their ability, the best pickup artists come together under one roof with the idea that they will work together to get more skilled and so as to start a business of teaching this ability on a larger scale. As the community comes together a subtle power struggle starts. These people slowly realize that what they have been learning not only applies to getting laid but much more. This understanding of a how to control and manipulate social situations gives the pickup artist power. They are more aware of the flow of situations and they perceive it as a threat if they are not in control because that must mean that they are being controlled. Therefore they seek to control every social situation that they are in and everyday interactions turn into mini social battles.
Neil sees all of this spiraling out of control. He is taken aback because all he wanted was to get some help with the ladies at the beginning but it has turned into people legitimately trying to control one another. Now this happens everyday in all situations to varying degrees but usually it slips under everyone’s radar and is dismissed as being simply the happenings of the day. But to the person who has an understanding of social dynamics these interactions and situations are viewed as successes or failures depending on who got what they wanted out of the situation. Neil becomes disenfranchised with the pickup community and states that to win in the game of pickup you must leave the game.
Neil ends up leaving the community with a girl who he could never imagine he would be with, yet he didn’t use any pickup on her. I imagine that Neil has a newfound appreciation for how situations take shape. Instead of trying to control situations he lets them develop naturally. Giving people the free will to act without the little tricks is honesty which is how people generally will be without delving into the pickup game. However, the understanding of inequality in relationships and ability to confront bullshit quests for power is a thing to be learned through the pickup game. If you want to learn more I say read the book, but just know it is akin to taking a bite from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.