Signs and Symbols

 From "Signs and Symbols":

"All around him, there are spies. Some of them are detached observers, like glass surfaces and still pools; others, such as coats in store windows, are prejudiced witnesses, lynchers at heart; others, again (running water, storms), are hysterical to the point of insanity, have a distorted opinion of him, and grotesquely misinterpret his actions."

Interesting use of personification. The entire paragraph really immerses us in the son's mind set, I believe, painting a surreal edge to the words and as well as setting up the idea of a communication barrier in the rest of the story. The parents and son are living in two separate worlds. The setting is bleak and depressing, and some of the so called 'signs and symbols' are decidedly ominous: the dying bird, the three phone calls. This seems to foreshadow tragedy - perhaps they will be too late and the son will already be dead by morning. Or does it? Are we over reading into things that aren't there?