I need someone to talk to

Even the insistent cough of the woman next to him wasn't enough to draw his eyes away from the tiny type of the ancient book its pages were brittle and felt like they could crumble at the slightest disturbance he noticed the musty odor if each page as he carefully it over.

Which type of story uses animals as characters in order to illustrate a general truth about human nature?

How does the author use word choice to show her point of view on the use of pesticides against insects?