Elsa is a bully and a nightmare to everyone around her. She also lives in a care home and suffers from dementia. While her son and daughter-in-law struggle to deal with her behavior, Elsa struggles with her overwhelming fear of death; holding on to bitterness and anger as if they were lifelines. The title of the story refers to the mythical characters of Hermes 'the guide of souls' and Charon, 'the ferryman to the land of the dead'. Although the story does involve a journey from the conscious to the unconscious, Journey Men is essentially a story about loss of control, solitude and fear of the unknown.