The significance is that he wasn't willing to let go of his chances of trying again. "They dragged Robert out the door, knees stiff, feet dragging."
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A is infinitive (to sneeze)
B is conditional (could change)
C is indicative (prefers)
D is imperative (cover)
What it is saying is it is like having a peanut butter jelly sandwich without the bread. It is ridiculous and something that is needed to make a whole of something. So like per say, you have a teddy bear but you buy that teddy bear but it has no filling in it. So it's like claiming to be a car salesman, without the cars. I hope this helps, sorry if it doesn't make sense.