In The Republic, Plato painted a picture of some significance with his Allegory of the Cave. In this imagined world, a band of humans lives chained inside a cave, facing a wall that is in front of them. There is a fire behind them, and every so often creatures move in front of the fire, casting their shadows upon the wall that the imprisoned subjects view. From the blurry shadows, the prisoners attempt to ascertain the things that they cannot truly see. After a two week trial, those following the Vringo (VRNG) - Google ( GOOG ) patent lawsuit must feel their situation bears an uncanny resemblance to the imprisoned souls in Plato's cave. The Past and Present The current chapter of Vringo's drama began with Judge Raymond Jackson's denial of a motion by Google for Summary Judgment. The stock rocketed upwards as a potential settlement or favorable jury verdict whet speculators' appetites. The stock peaked shortly after, and beat a measured descent when the trial began on October 15th.