We become important. Thinking of any symbol has become important in our culture because symbol engenders the understanding of whom and what we are. Culture of course draws on symbol. But caring about symbol daily in our lives turns life upside down. Symbol comes from the part of life that reflects itself, by our own thinking.
Symbol is like the shadow of something, whether it holds water or the idea of truth.
We can not reach the thing itself unless we approach it through its symbol. Our culture has lost its obvious use and need of symbols. His heart is going away and He can not make himself understood to those around him. To himself, he is the experience of pain and tries fervently to avoid what confronts him. Thinking of the pain itself as symbol for the man will show those around him, who he is.