"Tod" means "death" in German. It is a symbolically appropriate name for Tod Clifton because, after serving as a member of the Brotherhood, Tod has suddenly disappeared. Brother Jack says, "He has disappeared...So don't waste time with superfluous questions" (page 421). Later, the narrator sees Tod Clifton on the street selling Sambo dolls, which play on stereotypes about African-Americans. While hawking his wares, Tod Clifton sings a song that goes in part, "he lives upon the sunshine of your lordly smile" (page 432). In other words, Tod Clifton has gone from being a member of the Brotherhood to peddling dolls that perpetuate the worst and most horrific stereotypes about African-Americans. In a sense, he is spiritually dead, so the name "Tod" fits him. He is chased by the police and shot by them, so he also winds up dead after leaving the Brotherhood.