What is the significance of the theft dream sequence?

In Dai Sijies Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, the narrator of the novel tells us of a dream sequence preceding the planned theft of Four-Eyes suitcase. The main purpose of the dream sequence is to give the reader some expository information. It is given in the form of a dream so that it can be shown to us, rather than directly told to us. More significantly, it shows us the narrators relationship with Luo and how the narrator may subconsciously feel about it, it shows the anxiety that the narrator is suffering from due to the theft and it shows the producer-consumer relationship in literature and how it is bound by communism. Firstly, from the dream we can see how the narrator perceives his relationship with Luo, especially subconsciously. We can deduce that it is his subconsciously feelings because he tells Luo about the dream with trust and as a friend. The narrator may be a little jealous of what he thinks is Luos higher position in the friendship. The fact that Luo entrusted the master-key to the narrator in the dream shows that Luo makes the decisions. The jealousy may even be related to the seamstress, because the narrator suddenly felt a stab of jealousy, a bitter wrenching emotion he had never felt before at he thought of Luo telling the seamstress the story of Ursule Mirout. The narrator also seems to think that he is inferior to Luo, even if Luo doesnt feel that way. Shall I keep a lookout? shows the narrator always puts him on a pedestal and gives him the power. Secondly, the dream gives us a visual representation of the anxiety that the narrator is suffering from due to the planned theft of the suitcase. This can be seen because of his fear and jumpiness. He froze in horror [at] Four-Eyess mother, calmly knitting, turned and fled as if [his] life depended on it and woke up with a start. The narrator tells us Luo was just as anxious as I was. This is done to reassert the message that the two of them are very anxious about the upcoming theft. Finally, the dream symbolically shows the producer-consumer relationship of literature and how it is bound by communism. The producer Four-Eyess mother, wants to produce literature, but cannot. Therefore she is limited to only producing in the mind or by knitting. She says, Although I seem to be busy knitting this blue sweater, what Im really doing is composing poems in my head. This also explains why she is smiling in the dream, because she is doing something she enjoys, and even though it is forbidden, no one can catch her doing it. Meanwhile, the consumer the narrator, wants to read literature, but cannot because of the law. One of his companions, the Little Seamstress says, About those books of his what if we stole them? and they have to resort to stealing books. In conclusion, the dream is significant to pass on information to us and especially to show us the narrators feelings about his relationship with Luo and about the upcoming theft. Sijie uses the dream to show us the information instead of telling us the information so that it gives us a clearer and more visual image of the narrators fear. The dream sequence provokes thought and questions. The investigation on the narrator and Luos relationship brings up questions such as Does Luo subconsciously use the narrator for his own benefit? and Are they only surviving on the Phoenix of the Sky because they have the support of each other?. The investigation of the producer-consumer relationship brings up questions such as Is the mother the guardian of both literature and communism? or Does she only want to producer for her own benefit, and not for the consumer?.