in between the main stories, saint gut-free muses over families who cover up their loved ones' accidental deaths by autoerotic asphyxiation. in doing so, he highlights the theme of sexual repression throughout the tale. for example, in all three cases of sexual trauma, the parents are aware of the erotic nature of their son's accidents, but never discuss them afterwards. as a result, their sons are forced figuratively to "hold their breath" in the silence that lingers. saint gut-free refers to these moments of sexual repression as the "invisible carrot," referring to both the mother in the first story and to the total denial of all the parents involved.