even in grotesque situations: "The dog of tears followed them [the doctor and his wife], but it stopped from time to time, howled to them, then duty obliged it to continue" (312). The deep connection to the doctor's wife is also seen on page 264: "The dog of tears arrived with its snout touching the ground as if it were following some trail, a question of habit, for this time a simple glance was enough to find the woman he was looking for."
             The sense of devotion is so amazing because it is so intangible. No one says "you will stay with me forever no matter how society views me", but that is what happens. The dog of tears does not and will never judge the doctor's wife. His devotion to her is immune to her history, the choices she has made, or whatever she has done or will do wrong. It is a strong, but very simple connection between the two. He does not abandon her at any point, and through her highest and lowest points, the dog of tears will always be by the doctor's wife's side to lick her tears whether they be of joy or of sorrow.
             This is, obviously, a greatly positive relationship. It benefits both the dog and the woman. At the surface alone, both receive great care from one another. The dog recieves care from the only seeing woman in the nation, while other, previously domesticated animals have been abandoned to run wild: "
             ...