Whereas Perfume (1986) expresses Grenouille's unbridled egoistic excess at the expense of other people, and the work may vent the reader's subconscious desire to revel in the same freedom, The Pigeon is a reaction of withdrawal from other human beings. It is a reflection of the routine of self-effacement and anonymity adopted as a response to the tedium of reality and the undependability of fellow human beings.