To subtract \(-542\) and \(659\), you can rewrite the expression as:
\[ -542 - 659 \]
When you subtract a positive number from a negative number, you can think of it as moving further into the negative:
\[ -542 - 659 = -542 + (-659) = -1201 \]
Therefore:
\[ -542 - 659 = -1201 \]