Cobb and Arthur attempt to pitch their services as 'extractors' to the wealthy businessman Saito. Cobb uses a metaphor about the resilience of ideas to convince Saito that his subconscious secrets are vulnerable and require specialized protection.
COBB: What’s the most resilient parasite? A bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm?
ARTHUR: What Mr. Cobb is trying to say-
COBB: An idea. Resilient, highly contagious. Once an idea’s taken hold in the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate.
SAITO: But surely-to forget...?
COBB: Information, yes.
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