Content Warning: The source material features discussions of suicide, self-harm, and distressing imagery, which is discussed in this section.

“The cigarette had become so much a part of him that for a moment Mike honestly didn’t know what Olin was looking at.”

Mike’s attachment to the cigarette has rendered him oblivious to its presence, which is characteristic of superstitious behavior. In the same way that one might forget that knocking on wood will stand out to someone who isn’t familiar with the practice, the cigarette becomes glaring after Mike rejects Olin’s invitation to smoke.

“Where else could you feel in charge, if not in your special place?”

Rooms are a significant presence in this story, and King juxtaposes 1408 against Olin’s office to emphasize the effect a room will have on a person. If Olin’s office grants him the feeling of authority, 1408 exists as its antithesis, dampening his power so much that he and the hotel staff refuse to speak of it.

“And he had been forced to use the lawyer, as a man might be forced to use a crowbar on a rusty lockbox which would no longer accept the key.”

This passage characterizes Mike Enslin as someone who will use all means available to obtain his goal. The simile of a crowbar and an old lockbox suggests that he is not beyond using aggression or force. In turn, this implies how far he is willing to go to write the next entry in his highly-profitable series of books.