Paul’s dream amplifies the novel’s sense of foreboding, especially as it associates Annie with Misery (who, the reader knows, dies at the end of the book Annie is reading). Saying he dreamt of Africa, Paul refers, in a kind of personal code, to freedom. The rage Annie feels over Misery’s fictional death suggests that her personal attachment to the character is so strong that Misery feels like a real person to her. Again, Annie’s anger makes her prone to violent impulses, endangering the recipient of that anger, whether or not it is reasonable.