Just listen

When O'Brien is relating how he tried to escape to Canada early on in the book, he comes across a loner in the woods operating some dilapidated cabins. And just like in the book Siddhartha, the elderly gentleman living by the stream helps the one that seeks knowledge and solace. "the man's self control was amazing. He never pried" (O'Brien 49). Many people feel they can not possibly solve their problems by themselves. They crave the advice of others on how to live their own lives. Most people, if not all, however, are fully capable of figuring out the answers they need on their own. All they need is to get away from everything, and focus on other hobbies or odd jobs until they can clear their head, and face their demons head-on. Elroy did not ask O'Brien of his troubles, mainly because he knew it would do more harm than good. he simply gave O'Brien the tools to fix his own issues, and left it at that.