Object Permanence

When an individual doesn’t possess object permanence, anything that becomes hidden from view no longer exists. Any object that enters the home of a hoarder becomes a permanent fixture in their space by dissolving into a sea of their possessions. For the hoarder, these permanent objects become hidden in plain sight. The curse of an unsustainable obsession to take objects in is met with unbearable distress when trying to let go of them. For some, hoarding is a response to a traumatic incident. A coping mechanism to avert their gaze from the memories fosters a physical and psychological space to exist unchallenged. Allowing these memories to be tucked away, while a physical manifestation of the distress is visible from every possible angle. When this condition is coupled with substance abuse and compulsive internet use, the cycle of escapism and isolation becomes relentlessly vicious.

Zach Bearington is Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). The Agoraphobic NEET lifestyle has isolated his existence to a single room that is slowly overtaken by compulsively collected objects and overflowing debris. Most of his time is spent trying to escape reality and avoid facing the true loneliness of his situation through any means necessary. Abuse of over the counter drugs, alcohol or legally obtained mail-order research chemicals offer an ideal solution to facilitate this while mitigating face-to-face human interaction. 

Any relief is a fleeting experience when the only genuine connection is to WiFi and the perception of the outside world is reduced to a series of spectacles mediated through a screen. The more he tries to escape reality, the harsher that reality becomes. The deeper he delves into digital and chemical dissociation, the longer he needs to spend in that space to pacify his discomfort. The more dedicated he is to the consumption of images, the more distorted the images in his hallucinatory state become.