The literary term 'metaphor' serves as an example of Slaughterhouse Five: "Lionel was a machine. Tralfamadorians say that all creatures and plants in this Universe are machines."
I read the quote and realized its importance the second time seeing it. Billy's father-in-law was a machine in a sense that he and other humans on Earth are prone to the similar activities and work habits.
Lionel Merble is used to being an optometrist and looking at peoples' eyes every day. He is so good at what he does that the Tralfamadorians actually think he is a legitimate machine. Vonnegut could have said that Lionel was a dedicated worker. Instead, "Lionel was a machine" shows how truly focused he is on his work, "Tralfamadorians say that all creatures and plants in this Universe are machines" indicates that everyone on Earth is familiar with the same habits and/or actions.
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