The fact that she wants to feel love from another person and not a material possession reveals how the desire to feel emotion will outlast any belongings in life. At, "Remaining Men Together," the Narrator is introduced to Bob, who develops testicular cancer as a side effect of steroid use. Bob's story is ironic because he loses the symbol of his masculinity in an attempt to make himself appear more masculine. His obsession with his appearance is a direct result of culture covered in vanity, in which everyone believes they must become improved versions of themselves. The fact that this backfires for Bob is another way that Fincher pokes fun at the greediness that is associated with consumerism. At the same time though, Bob is still able to take comfort in the embrace of another man, which is emphasized by the medium close-up shot when he hugs the Narrator. This eye-level shot is played for laughs, since the Narrator's head is level with Bob's breasts, but the tightness of the shot also reflects the sincerity of their emotions when even the Narrator begins to cry, too, (Pramaggiore and Wallis, Film). It takes losing everything and everyone in his life for him to finally come to terms with his emotions, which foreshadows a similar fate for the Narrator.
While the Narrator learns emotional pain from the people in his support groups, he learns about physical pain from Tyler Durden. When the Narrator first meets Tyler on the plane, he takes an instant liking to him because Tyler embodies everything that the Narrator is not. Tyler is suave, confident, and independent, while the Narrator on the other hand is insecure and desperate to conform to society. But unlike the Narrator, Tyler is no conformist. He embraces violence and the pain that accompanies it. So when Tyler first offers for the Narrator to punch him, the Narrator is shocked. But slowly, the Narrator becomes accustomed to fighting: the rawness of the violence, how alive he feels with every blow he receives.
