Jerome and Sylvie
Throughout most of the novel, the French couple Jerome and Sylvie are basically described as one. They have the same job, they live together, and they typically do the same things. In the first part of the novel, both are freelance opinion pollers, and are in their twenties. With a low-income job, they often find it hard to pay the bills or even to eat, but that doesn't stop them from wanted luxurious items, which would, supposedly, spruce up their lives.
In the second part of the novel, however, the couple moves to Tunisia to find better paying jobs. After doing such, they move back to France, and realize that materials don't mean everything in life. Though for some this realization may make them happier, for Jerome and Sylvie it means making them feel more disconnected with the world around them, and they no longer have any desires to accomplish anything.
Things
Just as the couple Jerome an Sylvie are grouped into one lot, so are "things". In the very first chapter of the novel, only the things found the in the couple's apartment are described, often with elegant detail. Jerome and Sylvie always want to have more things, but are unable to afford them because of their low-paying jobs. When they eventually are able to afford them, they find that they no longer care about them, and the abundance of things in the world has made them almost numb.
