" Did you ever notice that all machines are made for some reason?" he asked Isabelle. " They are built to make you laugh, like the mouse here, or to tell the time, like clocks, or to fill you with wonder like the automaton. Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was made to do." Isabelle picked up the mouse, wound it again, and set it down. " Maybe it's the same with people," Hugo continued. " If you lose your purpose...it's like you're broken. "