It was intended to communicate the consequences of guilt and the depiction of this is too potent that the protagonist suffers from remorse/penitence for his wrong doing. The tone changes greatly from the first half as compared to the last half. Fresh produce, greenery, a land of promise then a desolate plot festered with rodents. The protagonist leads a miserable life but an untimely lesson “in the end we all get caught” left me curious about the ending. Did he die or commit suicide? A true Stephen classic...