To be honest, we never see Tod actually work on "The Burning of Los Angeles." Instead, we only see him imagine working on it in order to avoid thinking about something else. Why do you think that is? Is he just another one of those people who come to California to die?

This makes us think that Tod never really gets over Faye—instead, he simply shifts his obsession from her to his painting. Works well, sure, but it's not too healthy. In this way, Tod has practically become one of the people who inspired him to paint—a person who comes to Hollywood with big hopes only to see them disappointed.

Tod gets up close and personal with these people who come to California to die during the riot that closes the book. It's actually quite odd—the riot is a close parallel to the scene depicted in "The Burning of Los Angeles." Maybe the dude is a prophet, after all. Or maybe it's his artistic vision that helps him see what's really going on under the surface among the denizens of L.A.