Dreams, hopes and plans don't just get "deferred" in Interpreter of Maladies. They disappear, fracture, even change midway through a character's story. What's the point? Dreams, hopes and plans are all about the future, and in Interpreter of Maladies, the future is inherently unstable and unknown, especially for the characters based in India. That's because life—in politics, economics, and society—get in the way of these characters' individual goals.