 Why was it unheard of to issue an effective prison sentence to the zarquil operators?
"You must allow me to pay your cleaning bill," Gabe said, taking out his wallet and extracting several credit notes without seeming to look at them. And that, coming on top of Gabriel Lockard's spectacular appearance, was too much. Once the illuminators were extinguished in Gabriel Lockard's hotel suite, it seemed reasonably certain to the man in the gray suit, as he watched from the street, that his quarry would not go out again that night. Only when she started to struggle out by herself did he seem to remember her existence.
 The operators lived significantly long lives
 The operators were above the law  The operators were too difficult to contain in a prison  The operators lived significantly long lives  The laws were difficult to enforce and harder to uphold