Fog

Fog signifies confusion or danger. David wanders through the fog in the opening scene of the novel. He is lost and abandoned by the people who were supposed to love and support him. He cannot see through the mist, and so he does not know which way to go to avoid the Hissing Lady and stay out of danger.

This symbol is flipped on its head at the end, when Ambrose, Kate, Christopher and the sheriff are stumbling through the Mission Street Woods, barely able to see through the horrible mist that clouds everything in sight. Ambrose points out that though they cannot see their enemies, their enemies also cannot see them. In a way the fog makes them safe. The meaning of symbol is flipped just as the Nice Man's role is flipped, enforcing the idea that nothing in this novel is really what it...