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Boxes, Baskets and Masks
One of my brothers steals napkins and silverware and salt and pepper shakers from hotels and restaurants, seems he’s putting together complete table sets, I assume for the novelty of it seeing as he’s doing well for himself, financially that is, has new furniture and a new car, all the latest electronic paraphernalia and a new piano. My other brother has a piano too, and he collects boxes and baskets and masks. I understand the boxes and baskets, it’s a classic Freudian motif. He’s trying to connect with his feminine self in order to find it, hide it, or put something into it. Boxes and baskets are like caves, symbolizing darkness, mystery, moisture, and woman. He’s 49 and never been married, so maybe the boxes and baskets represent his unconscious trying to figure out why. As for the masks, my guess is he’s hiding from everyone, even himself, and perhaps he’s searching for a new persona, one that will hold him until he finds a woman he can share the rest of his life with. So it all boils down to Freud still, doesn’t it?