When Dan sees that someone is about to die, he often sees flies on their face. This is not always a guarantee, but it is probable. Flies symbolize death and often gather around sites of decay. The amount of flies visible on someone’s face also indicates the severity of their illness or the likelihood of their death. For instance, when Dan sees the flies on Billy, there are few enough of them that he knows he may be able to intervene. The same thing happens when he sees the flies on his own face. The presence of the flies on Dan’s own face warn him of the possibility of his future if he continues to hold the lockbox containing Horace Derwent, as well as Chetta’s mist, inside him. 

Most of Dan’s guilt in the novel arises from the night he spent with Deenie. He took $70 from her, even after seeing that her wallet was filled with food stamps. The money symbolizes Dan’s guilt and represents the corrosive effects of shame and secrets. Deenie and Tommy both died, which is not Dan’s fault, but he will always have to live with the fact that he did not help them. Dan’s experience with Deenie haunts him throughout the novel, and he lets it define his self-identity.