Final answer:
The excerpts from literature involve characters reflecting on potential situations, which is a common technique used to explore a character's thoughts and desires, and to add psychological depth to a narrative.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question seems to be about characters' perceptions or hypothetical situations from various pieces of literature. Each excerpt displays characters reflecting on potential situations or imagining outcomes in different contexts. In literature, such passages serve to explore a character's inner thoughts, reveal their individual fears or desires, and help the audience understand the narrative's psychological depth. Literary analysis requires not only noting what literally happens but also delving into the characters' minds and how the surroundings might influence their thoughts or behaviors.
For instance, in the first excerpt, the character Bobinôt contemplates how a ball might change if Alcée enters in a serious mood. This hints at how certain people's behavior can greatly influence social settings. Similarly, the second text, featuring a man in a grocery store, pushes us to question our assumptions about people based on their appearance. The subsequent excerpts continue to present various scenarios where characters engage in introspection or consider the implications of their actions and surroundings on their mental state or future decisions.