"I even smoke in bed. Imagine smoking a cigar in bed, reading a book. Next to your bed, there's a cigar table with a special cigar ashtray, and your wife is reading a book on how to save the environment"

This quote by Raul Julia paints a vivid picture of contrasting way of lives and top priorities within a single domestic setting. At the leading edge is a picture of extravagance and nonchalance signified by smoking a stogie in bed. This act, usually viewed as a leisurely or glamorous practice, particularly when coupled with checking out a book, suggests a state of convenience and advantage. However, smoking in bed, an uncommon practice, likewise means a certain recklessness or disregard for traditional norms, showing maybe a wider metaphor for self-indulgent or carefree behavior.

The presence of a "cigar table with an unique cigar ashtray" adds to the images of luxury and excess. It recommends that smoking isn't simply a casual routine but an essential part of the narrator's lifestyle. The specific reference of a "special" ashtray suggests attention to detail and a desire to maintain an air of beauty even in mundane regimens.

Placed versus this scene of extravagance is the storyteller's better half, who is portrayed as reading a book "on how to save the environment". This information presents a poignant juxtaposition. It suggests a possible detach or paradox in their coexistence; while one partner is engrossed in a personal pleasure that is often related to adding to ecological damage, the other is taken part in discovering how to mitigate such damages.

The wife's option of reading material shows a concern for and dedication to collective duty and ecological sustainability. This contrast serves to highlight themes of individual versus social obligation, indulgence versus restraint, and perhaps even the clash between hedonism and altruism.

Eventually, Raul Julia's quote humorously yet insightfully records a microcosm of broader societal contradictions, checking out how private choices can starkly contrast even within the very same intimate environment. The quote welcomes reflection on the balance between personal liberty and cumulative obligation.