[Simon] knew that he did not play music so much as walk into it, as if into a palace of great riches, with rooms opening into other rooms, which opened into still other rooms, and in these rooms were courtyards and fountains with passageways to yet more mysterious spaces of melody.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1)

Importance: Simon compares the world of music to a palace of great riches, showing how he subconsciously views music as a means of climbing the social ladder. Simon's status as a fiddler makes him likeable wherever he goes. In showcasing this metaphorical palace to other people, Simon hopes to elevate himself in their eyes. He is obsessed with creating a better life for himself than the one he grew up with, and uses music as a means of expressing this secret desire.

Simon turned back at a run to get his fiddle. It was all he had against a chaotic...
-- Narrator (Chapter 2)