I argue that this interaction shows Newt and Dr. Hoenikker resembling each other because of their childhood relationship and religion. In the beginning when Newt was a young boy, it is implied from, "I don't know where Father learned how to do that. From his father, maybe" that Newt saw Dr. Hoenikker play with the Cat's Cradle for the first time. (Vonnegut 11) This interaction relates to Newt growing up and remembering what the Cat's Cradle really is and is passed down to his adulthood. Like father like son, Newt tries to understand everything through his perspective. When Newt finally sees Dr. Hoenikker up close, he wasn't what he 'imagined' him to be. Instead, he was deemed unsettling and ugliest creature he'd ever seen. He lied to himself