 The character Gordon, who is in Durrell's 1935 novel Pied Piper of Lovers, is echoed George Orwell's 1936 novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying, and both he and Francis in "Panic Spring" echo Orwell, rounding out the series of references.The novel also emphasises the rural life of the village and a collaborative community of exiles who have no apparent need for money or government.This is set against remembrances of the city, London, financial dependency and despair, and political unrest.