Name the detail
“An empty chair has a name card” is an observation. “An absent donor is being honoured” is an explanation. The distance between them can carry a whole story.
Test another reading
Could the detail be a label, instruction or copied mistake? An alternative need not be exciting. An ordinary explanation may be the one that fits every detail without adding new assumptions.
Look for resolving evidence
Identify the fact that distinguishes competing explanations at the ending. These are exercises for reading fiction, not real-world investigation. Real people’s privacy and choices are not plot devices to overcome.
Further reading
For source material and collection context, visit Library of Congress: books. Check the collection’s own scope and access instructions before relying on it.