Humor
The common characteristic of Kim’s works was to make detectives notice that the mysterious phenomenon had been just an appearance, that is, to overturn the plot. What deserves attention here is Freud’s theory of humor, which has a remarkable analogy with Kim’s strange plot.
He gives an example of humor as follows: “A rogue who was being led out to execution on a Monday remarked: ‘Well, this week’s beginning nicely.’'” We feel a kind of humoristic pleasure here because of, according to Freud, “an economy in expenditure upon feeling.”

The situation that ought to drive the criminal to despair might rouse intense pity in us; but that pity is inhibited because we understand that he, who is more closely concerned, makes nothing of the situation.
It was symbolized by the remark to which we’d referred in the introduction: “This will be a real murder of Sherlock Holms.” The mystery proliferates one after another. Holmes may go out to solve the case, clarify the mystery logically and prove its real existence. However, Kim refused it. Of course, Kim sent his Holms to solve the case, too. But, the author (super-ego) makes any inference of detectives (ego) meaningless finally, saying that the mystery doesn’t exist; there is no need to be serious. It’s the very “economy of expenditure in feeling” that the protagonist of Cobra who realizes that their effort had been vain and states his impression: “that’s interesting,” and that the police detective of Punnakan remarks with a feeling of release: “All's well that ends well.” They are suppressing the expenditure in feeling by assuming another possible situation, as the humorist is
Heroine Stella, who had made a car accident resulting in death of the victim, has been receiving doctor Moorhead's counseling for several months. Stella confides the inside secret having impulsive aggression, and this doctor – he had sexual relations with patients several times – tells her that it is a natural instinctual drive and recommends its cancellation by killing animals or spurious suicide (reckless driving or gambling). However, she can’t get satisfied with them and kills him at last. The tragic ending of this story that is a kind of thriller, where Moorhead seems to represent sex drive (Libido), so does Stella death drive, is caused by that she had believed the opinion of this doctor. She should have ignored (burned) the theory maintaining the real existence of impulsive