“I believed that Fufi was my dog but of course that wasn’t true. Fufi was a dog. I was a boy. We got along well. She happened to live in my house. That experience shaped what I’ve felt about relationships for the rest of my life: You do not own the thing that you love.”
His father has left him. It is only when the owner of the bed and breakfast hands him a letter that Alem is given an explanation. Alem’s father admits that because of the political problems in Ethiopia both he and Alem’s mother felt Alem would be safer in London - even though it is breaking their hearts to do this.
″‘It’s finished. There isn’t a stamp, or an error that I haven’t collected. Not one. What shall I do now?’
‘I think I’m beginning to understand,’ said Moomintroll slowly. ‘You aren’t a collector anymore, you’re only an owner, and that isn’t nearly so much fun.‘”