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. I guess I am one of them. When an author can combine images of a world that is both hostile and humorous, I'm hooked.