Things: A Story of the Sixties is the story of a young couple who want to enjoy life, but the only way they know how to do so, is through ownership of ‘things’. 

 

The characters in the novel do not hold as much textual importance as the things (Les choses) meticulously described throughout, which are the subject to frequent digressions even in passages focusing on the main characters; no line of dialogue appears until the epilogue. Perec’s use of the conditional tense plunges the reader into the dreams of the characters in the novel, most of which focus on their material desires, including residences, furniture, and fashionable clothing. 

The main characters are a young couple,  Jerôme and Sylvie, whose names are first mentioned in the second chapter. The focus on an inseparable couple, rather than a single character, can be seen as a device through which Perec avoids creating any distinct personalities, independent of their surroundings.

 

The design of the set is based on the idea that things dominate the life of the couple. That’s why the set is over furnished and clothes, shoes and small items are hanging above the audience. Things are breaking through the stage and spread all over.