ABSTRACT
Metaphors and fables can be used in a way that is less confrontational, and which is delinked from personalities, and thus speak truth to power without coming across as being partisan. In that light, Henry becomes less of a shrink and more of a politician with diplomatic skills honed to the point where he can interact with both parties. In nature, Henry would be prey for badgers and foxes. Henry is the glue that holds the story together, the only character in every image, but he gives very little away. Maybe Henry knows that the dog and the cats are afflicted by communal pain or worry, and are acting out in their own ways. The dog appears to have lost his confidence, his self-respect, and probably the belief that things will ever get better. By embracing victimhood the dog may have given up entirely, alienating others even more with his pessimism and self-pity.
