Ray meets an incredible number of people with eye infections, suggesting that some strange plague is sweeping through the slums, abandoned farms and seaside villages. It is likely that swollen and bandaged eyes symbolize a pervasive condition in The Dog of the South . No one can perceive the world around him clearly. Despite the hopeless flailing of Portis' characters, this is a hilarious book largely due to the dialogue. Everyone talks but they rarely listen.
All talk is evasive.
Betrayal becomes so commonplace, Ray comes to accept it and blunders on towards the abandoned farm where Dupree awaits. Civilization seems to withdraw, and the forest is filled with Aztec ruins. Ray wonders why he came this far to find a woman who apparently despises him. Ray hasn't got a clue. It probably takes a special kind of person to appreciate Charles Portis.