When it comes to the relationship between these and reason, one is to consider the ambiguous meaning of the term. First, reason is the ability to justify an action. The characters, arguably, have been able to advocate for their own actions, either by blaming itthem on the source of their obsession (Joe retreating into rationalism to potentially combat Jed), or blaming it on emotion. In my opinion, it doesn’t seem that obsession clouds this kind of reason, but rather that the character’scharacters' reason is based on incorrect information, which ultimately leads to terrible consequences in a world that requires action as well as contemplation.Ill founded Ill-founded belief and uncertainty can be seen in the novel through Jed’s conviction that Joe loves him, Clarissa’s doubt about whether Joe is being stalked by Jed, or even the reader’s uncertainty of Joe’s reliability as a narrator. On the other hand, the second definition of reason links closely to rationality, which is a precarious construct in the novel, not an instinct but an achievement, a sandcastle, no sooner built than washed away by the tides of the mind.