Mike is just a piece of meat.

"Within my dreams, there have been several various settings; a classroom, out with my friends, in my own home with my family and the list goes on. But in each of these dreams, I am the center of attention. Everyone seems to be trying to speak to me, and only me, regardless of who is there. It could be my best friend, a professor, or even an attractive girl asking me question after question. But, in each dream, I cannot come to a response. I can't even process what these people are saying to me. I'm just sitting there, doing nothing, not able to move or even breathe. I can't walk or talk or feel anything emotional or physical. Just a bag of meat with eyes. However, I do have a form of conscious within these dreams of mine, as I can seemingly understand (within the dream) the concept that someone is trying to communicate with me. But I am still completely non-responsive. I cannot do anything at all. It's almost as if I am comatose or at least heavily opiated. I don't really understand the cause of this, as these dreams aren't usually vivid enough to remember in detail (perhaps that plays into the dream in and of itself), but I can only see what happens in the dream. It's as if you're watching your own surgery while it happens, but you don't even know it, if that is pertinent analogy."

I believe that Mike's dream is showing him a near-opposite view of how he may actually feel when out with his friends, or in class, or talking up the ladies. Contrary to him being the center of attention, I think Mike feels cast aside if not downright ignored in most groups situations; his dream self cannot seem to respond to the attention given to him, whereas I think Mike IRL does not receive the attention he deserves in relation to how much he contributes to the group. Mike's dreams aren't vivid enough to remember in detail because most of his experiences are remembered in vivid detail; and his mind, subconscious, whatever is showing him what it'd be like if his life WASN'T how it is, if it was in fact the complete opposite. Methinks it may be his own mind telling him to be happier with what he's got, hmmmm?

I'll post the Lacant thing in a bit. Tootles!