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# I asked whether this was bad. He asked, “Compared to what?”
- URL: https://www.projectevan.com/i-asked-whether-this-was-bad-he-asked-compared-to-what/
- Published: 2026-10-16T19:41:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-16T19:41:48.000Z
- Author: Evan Mercer
- Tags: maintenance man, office, story

![Maintenance Man calmly measures a huge crack in an office wall, marking it with a pencil line and date.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e8/88/e88830a3-d951-4682-b91c-ff9b3de17f28/content/images/2026/10/fri_cracked_wall-1.jpg)

“What are we doing?” I asked.

“Checking if it moves,” he said.

“And if it does?”

“Then we stop checking.”