• The "predatory passions" are contrasted by respectful affection.

• As Septimus believes the tree fibres meshing with his own body, in his hallucinatory state, he has gone far beyond the reaches of reality.

For Septimus, death is the only means by which his soul, his essence, remains "untainted."

• His heroism and intellectual/spiritual sensitivity cause his insanity, because no one will allow him to validate his mental illness. The doctors reiterate the need for "Proportion and Control."

• Clarissa’s love of flowers is her attempt to beautify the world- the "ugly, evil dungeon" of Septimus’s deranged existence, and the deterioration of his mind.

• Clarissa and Septimus differ because she is always able to distinguish between the internal and external world. Septimus, however, regards the outside world as little more than an extreme nuisance and severe intrusion of his most private thoughts in his irrational state.

• These two are connected, because their existence, their experiences, and their consciousness occur after and are contrasted by the bells that strike. "Clock" time is contrasted with "Time in Consciousness." The circles become the "thief" of personal meaning. The enemy is personified in Sir William Bradshaw, the most repulsive character of the book. However, the leaden circles also signify the pulse of life itself, as it does for Clarissa.