“Looking at her, though, was like looking at the hills. The hills stayed as they were. You could go to them, if you had the means, but they extended no greeting.”

Lorena treats Dish the way she treats every man with the exceptions of Gus and Jake. She is indifferent like the mountains, but she is also approachable to nearly anyone with money. She does not single Dish out for aloofness, but categorizes him along with all men who buy her; she is willing to take his money, but will not pretend that she enjoys anything about it.

“There was nothing important to do in Lonesome Dove, but that didn’t mean there was enough time to keep up with the little things that needed doing.”

Call spends most of his life working to distract himself from unpleasant truths. He is uncomfortable when he does not have an obvious purpose to work towards. This is part of the reason why the drive to Montana intrigues him; he wants to see Montana and have an adventure, but he knows the drive will give him a purpose for many months.

“His purpose was to get done what needed to be done, and what needed to be done was simple, if not easy.”

From his days as a Ranger, Call is most content when the day is filled with tasks and chores. Whenever he knows what must be done, his world grows comfortingly small. Call knows that his life has been a disappointment and that he has disappointed others as well. Simplicity gives him a way to prove that he is useful. This need for simplicity is what often makes him feel alienated from other men and their constant talk of gambling and women, which are always complicating factors, in his view.