Later in the story...

Seeing them all row upon row had reminded him of a bank vault at first and then for some reason a communal shower had sprung to mind. Oh dear. He thought of the gas shower from the Shoah; a separate drawer for each person's togs perhaps. Then the house where Angela was born appeared in his brain. He pictured it although he'd never been there nor seen any photographs-he just knew it was where she had first drank air.