Under the Whispering Door

by T.J. Klune

It’s not always about what we can or can’t have, but the work we put into it.”

This line from Hugo is, on a surface level, about his scones, and Wallace’s opinion of them. But it’s also a teachable moment for Wallace, who is used to having everything done his way when he wants it. Hugo is patient, Wallace is not. Hugo is kind, Wallace is not. Hugo is sure of himself, and Wallace thinks he is. I love the differences between these two, the way they fill in the empty spaces of each other with color. But I also think Wallace needs this far more than Hugo does, even if he can’t accept that. Wallace knows hard work; he wouldn’t have made it as far as he did in the corporate world if he didn’t. But he needs to learn that it isn’t everything, and it can’t be. There has to be more to life than the office.