The author aims at showing different types or levels of communication problems. One can distinguish between the communication problems existing between the girl and her fiancé and those between her and the listening narrator. The first problem is based on the girl being too self-concerned to manage a productive conversation. There is a communication problem between these two. The other problem is the one between the narrator and the girl. He listens and is willing to give her sound advice and help, which the girl might be happy to get. The narrator can theoretically fulfill this important function (helping the girl with those matters she is totally concerned with) but is not able to do so in reality, as he doesn’t dare speaking with her. Her fianc´e can communicate with her in the sense of speaking with her, but he lacks the skill of really understanding her. By placing these two elements of communication, (speaking/understanding) in separate persons the author creates a paradox. This underlines the main thesis: the modern society is so self-concerned that influences from others are hardly noticed (also shown in the end: the girl, being "an observer", doesn't even notice the Japanese).