Cossack dancers
When Mathew pulls an envelope and opens it, lice come out, and he gets scared and aggressive. Mathew compares the leaping of lice on the foyer to Cossack dancers. Mathew says, "They leapt around the foyer, stomping ferociously like a pair of Cossack dancers." The simile is significant because it signifies Mathew's aggression towards what he calls aggressors or traitors. After the lice get out, he watches them leap before he crushes them.
A pair of nervous fish
Mathew compares Dasha's apprehension to a nervous fish. When Mathew's Dad is serious and angry, Dasha gets frightened, and her face goes colorless like an edgy fish. The narrator says, "Only her greenish-grey eyes swam back and forth like a pair of nervous fish." The simile is significant because it depicts Mathew's Dad's character and attitude around people.
Royal person
Mathew contrasts his great-grandmother's dress code to royal persons. When Mathew goes to help his great-grandmother arrange boxes, he notes that she looks like royalty. Mathew says, "She wore a turban and a purple house dress and looked like some sort of a royal person." Comparing Mathew's great-grandmother to a royal person indicates that despite her old age, she knows how to dress and care of herself. Mathew is surprised when his great-grandmother says she can arrange her room alone.
