#zone 1

So let's take a look at the zones themselves, because I believe they are also quite telling about not just Hugo, but perhaps the real world around him.

Zone 1 is realm of Dedan. His elsen are hard working, albeit a bit stressed. Zone 1 is there the Smoke mines are. By their explanation, the elsen unearthed Smoke trapped in the ground so it can flow freely and create the air they breathe, they also bottle it into plastic bottles and ship it to other zones. The mines, sadly, are overrun with specters, preventing the elsen from doing their work.

From when I first played that stood out to me if only for how strange it is. Unearthing smoke to breathe! What a concept! It invokes certain imagery from the get go. Think of it, the numerous, branching tunnels of a mine, spreading downward into the earth--

--or bronchial tubes. These passages, these airways, are now overrun by specters. If, as I suggested before, these specters represent Death or an Illness, then Hugo's lungs could be weak.

But hold on, what a leap to make out of no where, right?

But is it out of no where? This is the first place we meet elsen and they all have a common, unique verbal tic. When you speak to them, they inhale a troubled breath. They sound like their* lungs are weak, but then, Hugo himself even had a sound bite where he coughs.

Smoke/Air will not flow freely from the ground if the elsen do not free it. This invokes the idea of blockage or weakness.

We can also go a step further and ask, why Smoke at all? Why not air? Could it be, that the adults around Hugo in his daily life, are all avid smokers? Based on the time period, it may not be well known that smoking is hazardous to your health. Imagine as a small child, watching everyone exhale clouds all day as though they couldn't breathe otherwise. This one is a weaker hypothesis, but one I do entertain.

I did touch on Meat a little bit in a previous post, but let's talk about what the Meat fountains of Alma could be.

I mention that Meat may be pressed upon Hugo by the adults in his life to help make him stronger. According to the elsen, the fountains are huge metal tubs of liquidized meat that is then shipped in bottles to other places.

Gross.

It also invokes the idea of a processing plant, does it not? Perhaps where ground beef is processed, packaged and shipped. Wherever Hugo lives, its a modernish place and it's worth noting that in no zone do we ever encounter a forest-let alone many trees at all.

In zone 1 we are told the ground beneath our feet is made of metal. Wild as that concept is, it also invokes ideas of industrialization, although I can't think of many places that have metal panels for the entire floor.

It is also worth noting : Plastic. Plastic is such a presence here that it's considered it's own element and takes the place of water here. That's a disturbing thought, but not as out there as you'd initially think. Sadly. Do our own oceans not comprise of so much plastic waste?

Again depending on the time period, environmental awareness could low if not nonexistent and in this world the default packaging method for any resource is plastic bottles.

Yikes.

So from zone 1 alone I conclude that Hugo has weak lungs, the adults in his real life smoke a lot, he lives perhaps in an inner city area or industrial district with packaging plants and processing plants.