“Ellen: You don’t need to analyze this dream. I have this little tiny bird. This finch. This beautiful little finch. And I love it so much. And I put it in this beautiful bamboo—one of those tiered bamboo birdcages. As I put it in the cage, the bird becomes me. And I’m still me. And the bird is me in the cage.

Howard: Right.

Ellen: As I put it in, I realize that the bars that are against the window— because I had it against the window to see fresh air— were wide enough for it to go out. And it had been like that all along.

Howard: But you never would leave?

Ellen: The bird was looking at me like, 'Wait a minute.' And I’m looking at the bird like, 'Wait a minute, don’t go. This is where you belong, and it’s a beautiful cage.' The bird who was me says, 'I don’t belong here,' and flies out. I was like, 'No matter how pretty this cage is, I’m not going to live in it.' I was doing well financially. I was doing well professionally. But I felt I was not free.”