Susan Engel published an article entitled, “Then and Now: Creating a Self Through the Past” (1999). Within this article, she describes a key concept which follows clearly with Franco’s case, cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the variability of what reality someone wants versus what reality that is actually occurring. With that stated Franco is in a clear state of cognitive dissonance. He cannot seem to evolve out of his deemed childhood memory. There is a conflict between self and remembered self, which is inferred through Engel’s work by her statements in The Remembering Self and the Remembered Self. Engel describes more than one line of connection to memory (196). She later goes on detailing how memories are an essence of identity as simple memories can be pronounced to be larger than solely its simplistic ideal, but rather portray a bigger picture.

     This can be in joint connection with Franco Magnani’s work as an artist as his paintings consisted of the streets of Pontito.  

An articulate image that can be conveyed simply as the streets of Pontito has an increased importance in terms of meaning. These streets were Franco’s childhood and his true identity.