Compare the passage of the locomotive symbolizing progress, at which Decoud "did not stir." There Decoud was unmoved by the vast illusory dream-ideals of history; here he is impressed by an instance of character, of a man being true to himself in the face of enormous pressure. I see here another hint of the novel's message that character is mankind's true treasure. Certainly something in Nostromo's story has "awakened" Decoud's interest.