“At twilight, when we disbanded, I passed the grocery alone on my way home. There was a small light burning in the store and the shadow of the old man body outlined against the glass. Goaded by remorse, I walked to the door and entered. The old man moved from behind the narrow wooden counter and stared at me. I wanted to turn and flee, but by then it was too late. As he motioned for me to come closer, I braced myself for a curse or a blow”
“One of the most important aspects of experience that human have tried to represent through images is their own self. As the self began to depend more and more on learning as opposed to relying simply on genetically programmed behavior…”

“In our own time, people carry a great variety of objects to symbolize the desire quality of their selves”
“He walked limping from the counter to the window where the piles of tomatoes, celery, and green peppers clustered. I suppose all you see here are some random vegetables? He did not wait for me to answer. You are dumb again. These are some of the ingredients that go to make up a Greek salad. Do you know what a Greek salad really is? A meal in itself, an experience, an emotional involvement. It is created deftly and with grace”

Another aspect of the self that the symbolic environment of the represents is the owners’ ideals
“Look around this store for a minute. What do you see? Fruits and vegetables, I said. Cheese and olives and things like that. He stared at me with a massive scorn.