She does not care at all about the present. There is one scene in which Joe's car is towed away. She trivializes the situation, saying that new cars are pieces of junk anyway and that she has a good, older model automobile. The scene that best illustrates the fantasy in which Norma is living is the scene at the studio in which she is conversing with Cecil B. DeMille. There is a sequence when a lightman shines a spotlight on her and all of the people flock around her.
Eerie music is heard playing in the background.
The bright lights and the people surrounding and praising her, to Norma, is the dream she has been trying to keep alive since her film career ended. It almost reminds the viewer of the type of atmosphere that usually accompanies encounters with the divine in other films. Norma's whole existence is centered around these kinds of moments. The fame and glory are almost divine experiences for her. I believe that the mansion is intended to be symbolic of Norma's mind.