While Mother and Nooria also often talk about how Afghanistan and Kabul used to be, this old man is the first to incorporate an older understanding of what the country is like with what it can be in the future. In helping Parvana plant the flowers and insisting that it’s a very Afghan thing to do, the old man helps Parvana understand that as she grows up and becomes a proud, strong, confident Afghan woman, she needs to look for the beauty everywhere and spread beauty whenever she has the opportunity to do so. She also needs to care for her friends in every way possible, as she does here with the Window Woman.