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It must be known that Akakiy Akakievitch expressed himself chiefly by prepositions, adverbs, and scraps of phrases which had no meaning whatever. If the matter was a very difficult one, he had a habit of never completing his sentences; so that frequently, having begun a phrase with the words, “This, in fact, is quite—" he forgot to go on, thinking that he had already finished it.

This quote appears as Akakievitch visits Petrovitch in hopes that he can repair his old coat. It illustrates how difficult it is for Akakievitch to speak with others, as he cannot finish his sentences. This speech pattern reveals his timid nature. He can hardly convey his meaning to others with words. Akakievitch is all alone in the world as shown by his inability to communicate effectively.

All this, the noise, the talk, and the throng of people was rather overwhelming to Akakiy Akakievitch. He simply did not know where he stood, or where to put his hands, his feet, and his whole body.

This quote appears as Akakievitch enters the party thrown by his superiors at the office. At the party, Akakievitch is out of place like a fish out of water. He would rather be copying documents, and a party flusters him to a large degree. He does not know where to stand or what to say. He is a man who does not socialize, and he does not play the same game of social advancement as the others do.

A being disappeared who was protected by none, dear to none, interesting to none, and who never even attracted to himself the attention of those students of human nature who omit no opportunity of thrusting a pin through a common fly, and examining it under the microscope.

This quote appears after Akakievitch is buried. Upon Akakievitch’s death, the narrator makes a harsh judgment of his life. The narrator describes how no one cared when he died to the extent that not even social scientists would care about the man’s life. This lack of attention shows the utter meaninglessness of Akakievitch’s struggle. No one cared about the man to any degree.

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