Understanding the Third Man Factor: Survival Instincts

n chapter one, John Geiger begins by talking about what exactly is “the third man factor” by giving an example about Ron Defrancesco, who merely survived the 9/11 catastrophe. He tells the story how Ron had a presence appear before him who helped him get out of the tower before it collapsed, he got out by himself, yet he believed that there was someone with him, “It told me what to do. The only decision I had made at that point in time was to lie down next to Rick and to fall asleep and to accept death. That's the only decision I made. All decisions made subsequent to that were made by the presence. I was merely taking instructions. . . . I understood what it wanted me to do. It wanted me to live.” (John 8). John then thoroughly explains that

this event was the “Third Man Factor” which is a presence that aids those in stress and hopelessness in a crisis. He explains how this phenomenon occurred in history through the times, if they were hallucinations, or religious based, he really wanted to know why these events occurred similarly in history.
He enters to Chapter two giving many example of historical ideas of this third man popping up in the records. One being about Captain Shackleton, his struggle through his adventure with serious stress since he was trying to survive in the polar islands. He was trying s hard to keep his men alive, they all wanted to just end it, or they would lose their minds. This ultimately made Sheckleton have so much pressure, but there was a presence that would guide him, or so he believed that it was what happened. John states that this is evidence that such a phenomenon could actually exist.
Chapter Three is filled with so many examples of the third man factor appearing, first with Joshua Slocum, a voyager who went abroad across the world, Frank Smythe, who tried to climb mount everest, and etc. John would just tell their stories being the objective narrator since all he does in this story is report what the explorers did and say throughout this whole text. They had the same type of story as Ron Defrancesco and Captain Shackleton. Each of these stories in chapter three had similar stories that would convey the idea or the sight of entity that would appear before them during crisis. John once again using these examples to prove his point that something is out there with these famous explorers testimonies.