“He was lost in thoughts of how to make his living tomorrow, helpless incoherent thoughts protesting an inexorable fate. Aimlessly he had been listening to the pattering of the rain on the Sujaku Avenue.”
The fundamental issue that is disconcerting the servant is existence. He has lost his employment, so his continual existence is uncertain. He does not have the livelihood; his life going forward is destined to be grim.
“He had little choice of means, whether fair or foul, because of his helpless circumstances. If he chose honest means, he would undoubtedly starve to death beside the wall or in the Sujaku gutter. He would be brought to this gate and thrown away like a stray dog. If he decided to steal... His mind, after making the same detour time and again, came finally to the conclusion that he would be a thief.”
The servant has two routes to upturn gambles of his survival. However, the opportunity cost fair play would be higher than those under foul play because the fair play would culminate in his demise. He opts for theft, which falls under foul play, because it offers greater odds of surviving.
“As he listened, certain courage was born in his heart−the courage which he had not had when he sat under the gate a little while ago. A strange power was driving him in the opposite direction of the courage which he had had when he seized the old woman. No longer did he wonder whether he should starve to death or become a thief. Starvation was so far from his mind that it was the last thing that would have entered it.”
The servant’s resolution espouses the Status Quo Bias because he takes up the resolution that he made earlier on to be a thief. His more focused his existence than the objectivity of his endeavors. The run into with the old woman makes him cognizant that his survival is the most substantial question at the moment.
“No one knows how he came to serve the Regent. Still it is certain that he had gone about his daily chores for a long time, in his discolored silk robe and soft head−gear. From his mannerisms and his unkempt dress, it was hard to believe he had ever been a young man.”
Goi does not enhance his impression because his dresses in a shabby robe that supplements his repulsiveness .The discoloration suggests that he hardly changes the robe, thus it has mislaid its standard color. Clearly, Goi is not concerned about the image that he projects.
“The older men constantly made off−color remarks about his personal appearance; this prompted the younger men to practise all their wit on the helpless Goi. In his presence they would never tire of making critical comments about his nose, mustache, headgear, and silk robe.”
Labels are pegged on physical form. Criticisms about Goi’s look expose him to inauspicious labels that paint him as a disagreeable man. Goi is regarded to be inferior to the other men who poke fun at his appearance. If the men had appreciated him, they would not have degraded him.
“A dog, constantly teased, will not readily jump at a piece of meat thrown to him once in a while. With his usual expression that made you wonder whether he was smiling or crying, Goi looked from Toshihito's face to his empty bowl, contemplating each in turn.”
Goi is skeptical of Toshihito’s assurance that he would offer him all the yam gruel to placate his longing. Comparing Goi to a dog confirms that contempt is ubiquitous in his life that he construes unpretentious declarations to be teasers intended to mortify him.
