Until the end of my days, I will have the feeling that I am holding Chipper Douuva under the mouse, and his legs hang several inches above the seventh avenue. It was impossible to do anything else with him - only put in place; You can never do anything with him: we only raise our chippers of the doovs and put in place, over and over again.
The narrator reflects on a lasting memory of holding Chipper Douuva in a precarious situation, feeling the weight of his body suspended above Seventh Avenue. This evocative image highlights a sense of helplessness as the narrator describes that there was nothing else they could do but hold him in that position. It captures a moment of both absurdity and gravity in their relationship.
This sentiment underscores a recurring theme of the book, where the characters often find themselves in odd or challenging circumstances that they cannot change. The idea of consistently lifting and placing Chipper suggests a cycle of attempts to manage debilitating situations, emphasizing the complexity of their interactions and the emotional weight they carry throughout their experiences.