Yamae Yamamoto

Yamae Yamamoto's character is a symbol of stasis. While at the surveillance agency, the narrator is tasked with watching Yamamoto during all waking hours. Over time, the narrator becomes demoralized by the work, because Yamamoto's life so closely resembles her own. His seclusion and immobilization make her realize her own isolation and lack of drive. His character becomes a ghost of herself that she is desperate to escape.

Yamamoto's DVDs

The DVDs that Yamamoto obsessively collects and watches are a symbol of purposelessness. While watching Yamamoto, the narrator becomes judgmental of how the novelist and freelancer spends his time. She is particularly disgusted by how much time he spends watching television. At the same time, the narrator is invested in the same movies and shows as Yamamoto, and even becomes jealous that he has so much more time than she does to consume television. His...