The desolate atmosphere and general state of the café symbolize Miss Amelia herself. It is clear that both the house and Miss Amelia are isolated from the rest of the world. It is said that she has never shown affection towards men and has chosen to be a loner in the past, but her current state suggests that she has not necessarily chosen to be that way. Something tragic must have happened to her in that house. The sadness and loneliness of the city also allude to Miss Amelia's depressed state of mind. Overall The Ballad of the Sad Café is written in a way that is rich in secondary meanings and open to interpretation. The passage, taken from the beginning of the novella, is indicative of how the story is written in the complex way it requires