The story has two lines- the People line and Object line. They are interrelated, which means the object symbolizes the person and the person shares the same trait with the stone. The person is some kind of introverted, he seldom talks and seemed immersed in his own world. The stone only exists in one part of the world, it is unique and special, but it doesn’t fit anywhere and not accepted by the common public. The person is the stone, so when Richard finds the stone under his desk, he “found” himself. He tried to put the stone outside - let himself fit in the society - but failed, no one pays attention, no one can appreciate its beauty. He is very careful about it because he knows they are equivalent. He tried to find a place to place it, but he was afraid of the stone(himself) suffer from the environment(society), so he looked back again and again. Tony’s appearance is a kind of hope. Since if you find another person who does not fit the society, you are not alone anymore. Throwing the stone is an act of relief. We don’t have to try hard to fit into society, just keep everything natural and good news will eventually come.