'City of Specters' talks about the kind of life a normal, middle economic class of couple live in a place like Pyongyang. 'Rabbit with three burrows' is an example that he chooses to explain their life.
Explanation:
With her child and husband, Gyeong-hee lives in Pyongyang. When she sees through the adjacent part of their house's window on one side, there is a poster of Karl Marx and that poster scares her child. The curtains that they have on that side are NOT Supposed to be drawn by any means, which is a way to pay tribute to that great leader.
But Gyeong-hee doesn't care about it and draws curtains which leads the Secretary to commend her position in front of Gyeong-hee. When her husband comes back from the department of information, he gets furious and tries to tell her that their life has to be like the 'Rabbit with three burrows'.
His example makes the readers understand that a place like Pyongyang is where we need to live like a rabbit, who keeps three burrows to hurry into, whenever necessary. This is a place where they must be prepared to run for safety, protection and welfare. Their means is only their self and no one else.
