Asimov’s best trope is when a character notices literally anything and immediately starts panicking about the collapse of society.
Some examples:
- In The Caves of Steel, when Elijah compared the cafeteria to a sparrow cage
- In Prelude to Foundation, when Seldon saw a sign with a missing letter (the funniest example)
- In Robots and Empire, when Amadiro noticed his secretary looked older than his actual age (send him on vacation or something, I dunno)

















