As pets, animals are care workers, giving solace to lonely humans. In none of these economic spheres are animals passive tools. Like human working classes, animal workers also constantly resist and rebel.

This reading of Thomas’s story, for me, is a powerful reminder that faith is not a straight line from doubt to belief. It is a complex journey through relationship, rupture, and repair. From the perspective of self-psychology, Thomas represents not merely an individual struggling with uncertainty, but anyone who has experienced the pain of exclusion (a break in connection).