I think they say something about the whole system politically, as well. I found myself seeing no small trace of propaganda in them. I also wondered about my own country and government, and realized ways in which they also behave in the same manner. On the trains the mood of the people is somber and reserved. People rarely speak to one another, unless to ask for directions, or the name of the next station.
Many people read books.
Belongings are almost always gathered together in plastic shopping bags with names like Nike or Marlboro on them. The trains speed along noisily, the passengers jostling from side to side to the sound of crashing metal and screeching brakes. On one train ride, late at night, I was amazed to see two small children sleeping soundly as the train hurtled along. How could they possibly sleep through all the noise, I thought. Each one was with a single parent, sitting across from one another.