Would anyone be able to help pull some techniques and ideas about belonging from the extract below from The Finkler Question? He felt himself to...

Really? These two simple paragraphs are dripping with
juicy allusions to belonging! The first sentence:

"He felt
himself to be a stunted shrub in a rainforest of towering
trees."

The stunted shrub is always in the shadow of the
towering trees. In the rain forest, if you're not on the top of the canopy, you're
either food or mud; neither is terribly popular to listen to on the
radio.

"...Treslove who stayed where he was because no one
knew he was there."

No one knew who he was, what he was, or
that he existed in their family. With no recognition, who could promote themselves? With
no exemplary status as with all the other individuals in "the Corporation", he was
unrecognizable; the empty chair no one noticed at the dinner table. The chair existed,
so clearly there was supposed to be a body in it. But as it stood empty without
Treslove, no one took notice of it; no more notice than if he were in
it.

"...and spoke the same language – except
Treslove..."

Language is the basic fundamental thread that
binds people together. You can have absolutely nothing in common with someone...but if
you're the only two that speak the same language in  foreign world, you'll be best
friends indeed. Without even the language thread (as he sees it) to bind him to these
people, he has no place among them. And when he resigns and receives no reply, his
assumptions are correct. He never belonged with them. He was never a part of their
"Corporation."

Run with it! It's a beautiful
piece!