Old Billings is the grimy foreman from the new gear factory, with a calloused hand and a cigar clenched between his teeth. He offers pragmatic advice to Sam and Eli, emphasizing that the workshop floor makes craftsmen while schools make theorists. He promises that the boss values those who stay firm and that promotion will come from within, noting their wages are double what apprentices earn. His tone is mocking yet conspiratorial as he shares insider knowledge.
