The narrator expresses deep disdain for commercialism and the superficiality of consumer culture, highlighting their aversion to shops and the insincere exchanges that accompany transactions. They find the rituals surrounding buying and selling, filled with empty pleasantries, to be particularly grating, emphasizing a distaste for the performative nature of such interactions.

The narrator also critiques the portrayal of goods, noting how even modest items are presented with an exaggerated sense of value and respectability. This disdain extends to the advertising strategies that mask the true nature of trade, suggesting that these practices represent a poor imitation of genuine humanity and quality, ultimately detracting from true richness and meaning.