They are startled, it's said in the paragraph too:
"...and lights might click on and faces appear and an entire street be startled by the passing of a lone figure, himself, in the early November evening..."Chat with our AI personalities
Leonard Chappelow died in 1768.
In The Pedestrian, Leonard lives in a society that is so stuck on technology that they hardly live in the real world. The society of AD 2052 is one whose lives are spent in front of the television. However, Leonard is said to have 'regressive tendencies', which implies that he isn't part of this society. When the police question him, we find that he doesn't even have a television at home, but instead spends his time walking about, breathing fresh air and seeing the world.
His job as a writer is not considered a profession
Syd Mead's birth name is Mead, Sydney Jay.
Kathryn Mead was born in 1977.