: There is a sense of "waiting for nothing," where the narrator is paralyzed by nostalgia, unable to move forward while he clings to the ghost of his former life. Key Themes

: He is haunted by the image of a woman who is no longer there, feeling the weight of her absence in the silence of the room.

: The act of smoking alone emphasizes his isolation. The smoke creates "curls" or "shades" that remind him of her presence, only to disappear into thin air.