John returns to his people from the Place of the Gods profoundly changed by the experience. He now knows that the beings he thought were gods are—or were—actually simply humans just like him. As John expresses to his father, he now realizes that it is possible for his own people to rebuild the civilization that was destroyed. One doesn't have to be a god to live as people once lived in the Dead Places and the Place of the Gods.
John wants to tell the villagers what he has learned, but his father advises him not to, saying it would be too of a shock:
Truth is a hard deer to hunt. If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth.
John understands the wisdom of his father's words. He does not tell his people the truth, as it could be too much for them to absorb. However, when John goes to the Dead Places, he is no longer just scavenging for metal. Instead, he is searching for books, writings, and tools, in the hopes of gaining the tools to learn and rebuild civilization.
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