A SHELF OF ADVENTURE BOOKS AND MECHANICAL TOYS FROM A BYGONE ERA. AN OLD MAN REACHES DOWN FOR HIS FAVORITE, SEEING IN IT A STRANGE REFLECTION OF HIS LIFE.
Cultural values assimilated uncritically in childhood that carry long-range effects. Absorbing and acting out the positive or negative karma of one's society (playing with puppets while fate plays with you). Stripping away time-bound values from eternal values. Putting one's finger on underlying causes and hidden motivations. Intersection of personal and collective karma. Taking one's own emotional experience as an indicator of broad social problems (psychological projection). Leading the way out of the restrictions of one's age. Arguing with the present. The power of a childishly simple and familiar persona to win over the public (hidden agendas, clever manipulativeness).