Unfortunately, Emily adopts the sense that her homespun nature is her handicap and therefore lives according to the way society assumes people with disabilities do: introverted and uncomfortable. Society assumes that disability also implies mental problems. In some cases, there are intellectual and developmental disabilities, but this is not representative of the whole. The character of Emily perfectly exemplifies this flaw in society: “[She] hoped that the man's wound did not also concern the brain; he had a long shift ahead of him… and he didn't want the embarrassment of trying to talk to someone and listen to someone whose body was anchored to a chair and whose mind was afloat. She immediately belittles her entire self as if a mental disability is the worst thing that could happen. His comparison to a mental disorder reduces these people to an animalistic or infantile status: "He knew it would talk to him like a child or a dog." Emily reduces Drew to his chair, instead of the enthusiastic and cheerful man who has a passion for life. She has never been helpless, saying she would rather die than be in such a state. However, Drew's lack of fragility brings out Jeff's good qualities, enlightening Emily about the possibility of escaping loneliness. Unfortunately, Emily and Jeff represent the social opinion that anyone in a state of helplessness could actually be happy. Fortunately, Emily recognizes pain as an inevitable supplement to the existence lived: Drew will no longer be able to dance on two feet, but he can.