 A strongly nostalgic and melancholic tone pervades the narrative as the Seth character searches for peace and meaning in his life . The narrative is presented as confessional and revelatory : it displays the protagonist 's <unk> problems and self @-@ doubts , and at one point he is depicted as naked . He often talks of his obsession with the past — his own childhood and earlier eras — either through dialogue with friends or in captions as he wanders the streets . Seth 's interpersonal encounters tend to be one @-@ sided , revealing his reactions to and judgments of those around him . 
