Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing and redemption. Despite its close closeness, Gregor is unable to reach it. Even if he could get there, his predicament would be hopeless because no doctor would know how to turn him back into a human person. Furthermore, the hospital starts to stand in for his seclusion. It is a place where he can find peace and solitude. Healing and redemption are also central themes of Cather's novels. In The Professor's House, we learn that Dr. Wilson has died before he could heal himself. After his death, Mrs. Wilson realizes that her husband had been sick all their lives - she had just forgotten this because they were together so long. When she remembers him, we realize that he was trying to redeem themselves by being good parents to their children. They had tried hard but failed, which is why Dr. Wilson killed himself. In Not Understood, Gregor's redemption comes much later in the story. He learns that people are good even though they may seem like they are not. And that even though happiness is very rare, sadness is common. Learning this, he decides to live his life differently from then on. He stops wishing for things to be different and starts accepting them as they are. Finally, hospitals represent hope. No matter how bad your situation might be, help will come eventually. Doctors can fix everything from broken bones to cancer.