Early on, the ostriches are a symbol of the prosperity that has eluded Fiela and her family. They are potentially valuable possessions that cannot be dominated or coaxed. They will do what they must do in their own time, no matter how much, or how angrily, Fiela chides and coaxes them. Their reluctance to breed seems like a minor inconvenience once Fiela finds herself at the mercy of governmental forces that will not obey her.

Benjamin’s five shilling are a link between his past and present. They are originally a symbol that the Komoeties are not poor. Later, they bind him to Nina, to his former home with Fiela, and are one of the few things that stay the same in his life.