folklore elsewhere, focus on two or three characters (or groups), even if a larger number is mentioned. Note again the parable of the Feast, which tells of a man who invited many people to a banquet, but the narrative mentions only three and treats them as if they were the entire list of guests. The descriptions of the characters and actions in parables often make use of balanced structures, contrasts, repetitions, and parallels so that patterns of symmetry are obvious. Note, for example, the symmetry