Minchell accepts being invisible to himself and others around him, the real question becomes clear: he must find a way to make himself visible and regain his identity. Mr. Minchell knows that keeping his job is necessary to support his family, so breaking the monotony of life by quitting is out of the question. He had been missing for a long time and regaining his identity and therefore his visibility would be an unusual action for Mr Minchell. He would need to do something that separates him from others to show his identity to those around him and to himself. Mr Minchell's lifelong dream is to ride a lion he calls King Richard. He has always known that this lion is important to him, but he doesn't recognize why until the end of the story. Not only is it a statue, which represents something solid and permanent, it is what the statute is that holds the importance. The lion is an independent animal that represents the powerful identity Mr. Minchell has always wanted. A lion is able to do whatever he wants, while Mr. Minchell does a job he hates every day. Riding an animal with all this meaning behind it is exactly what Mr. Minchell needs. When he finally realizes his childhood dream, he immediately regains his identity and becomes visible to those around him