run into an arts collective called the dream collective, whose art project is to allow only one person to sleep at a time, so only one can dream at a time, but they find taht even when they sleep, they dont’ dream, and can’t explain it. The answer is that one of them is actually hoarding the dreams of all of them, because if he gathers enough dreams, an unnamed shadowy figure will give him his own trumpet. That figure is of course the two of them, from the distant present.
also, the idea that due to declinging personal posessions, people evolved the ability to ascribe greater value to fewer things, so they didnt’ feel poor. A mutation produced a subgroup of humans that saw the real value of things only, based on its utility, and they quickly came to rule over the entire planet, living in luxury.
also, the idea of a placebo eductaion. Telling someone they’re smart, without making them smart, so they bluster their way into situations and commend respect. Those people are far more successful than people who know what they are doing.