"You have heard it, then. Apologies," reaching to clasp Mason's arm, a gesture Mason retreats from in a Flinch as free of deliberation as a Sneeze.
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Lines 135-136 Vulgarized:
"So you've heard that joke. Sorry." Dixon reaches out to grasp Mason's arm in a friendly and reassuring manner. Mason, without a thought, recoils from Dixon's touch.
Subtext:
Yet another example of the differences between these two men, differences that could hamper communication. Whereas Dixon believes he made a friendly gesture, Mason seems to take it as a minor assault. And Mason's flinching away from an earnest gesture of companionship because he might be unable to easily handle the touch of another person, probably communicates to Dixon, no matter how wrongly, that Mason dislikes or mistrusts him already. Both seem to be trying to get along to the best of their own abilities but their personalities differ so much that each man can only interpret the other's words and action through the lens of their own perception of the world. The entire scene, so far, has been a wonderful example of how communicating with any other human being, no matter how eagerly both parties are to be friendly, can break down in myriad ways.
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