The primary concern of this novel is the depiction and exploration of Said Mahran's internal world. He is the center of the novel's development, and he is under continuous pressure from two forces of adverse nature. On one hand, there is a repelling harmful force characterized by Ilaysh, Nabawiyya, and Rauf Alwan. This is counterbalanced by a positive force represented by Sheikh Ali al-Junaydi and Nur. .
Physically, Said is cut off from his wife and daughter -the only family he had left, and psychologically he is an eccentric who is incapable of relating to a world that is rising uncontrollably. The irony is that Said Mahran has never been released from prison, "Once again he inhales the whiff of freedom, but there is a pressure of suffocating dust and an unbearable heat in the atmosphere." He approaches his new life after prison with a petrified perception and this intensifies his loneliness. .
The author, Najib Mahfuz, often relates to animal imagery to implement the feel of essential shame to which the characters" world has collapsed. Said Mahran describes his enemies as "dogs" before he sets out to abolish them one by one. In Said's eyes, they have lost all sense of humanity and have acquired immoral characteristics. The conflict between Said and Ilaysh is shown in terms of animal imagery. "Ilaysh's body which is like a barrel", "his round face with its fleshy parts under the throat and the chin", and his "gross nose", all suggest the image of an elephant. By contrast, Said's "slim and strong" body, and his "brilliant eyes" suggest the image of a tiger. .
Nabawiyya's marriage to Ilaysh changes her image drastically and in Said's mind, she has developed to being an ugly woman. Her betrayal can easily be compared to Ilyaysh's, because they are on the same level. For Said, his ex wife's betrayal is not an incident that has taken place out of the situation of his absence, but a result of her crucial nature, as "filthiness" is a component of her nature.