[nhma]

The world in which the story is set is mostly devoid of living animals. Consequently, owning an animal has become a symbol of wealth and status. Naturally, most individuals cannot afford such a luxury, and a whole industry of robotic animals has emerged to cater to the less wealthy segment who want to pretend to own an animal. The protagonist of the story even has a feud with his neighbour about the authenticity of their respective faux animals.

At some point, the protagonist comes in contact with a number of humanoid robots (androids). The theme of the book is very much about the blurry lines of what makes a living thing be alive (is the protagonist's own ultra-controlled life even called living?). So the title could be interpreted as "Do artificial humans have the same aspirations as us?", as in what's the difference between them and us.