>>544814873
>>544814702
Something interesting they could do with the monkey is that it could be a Ryoshu lookalike.
The monkey's role in the story is supposed to be a reflection of Yoshihide himself. Like how they share the same name and go through the ridicule of the palace. He's also a representantion of the only human side Yoshihide has left which is ironically presented to you through a monkey. They both protect the daughter, and the monkey dying alongside her when she burns is a reflection of how the only humanity left inside of Yoshihide also burns away and now only painter is left. Obviously after finishing his final painting he does not wait even a second to kill himself to further solidify this view.
The monkey itself feels like such a meme but its actually such a smart usage of an animal from a narrative standpoint in such a short novel.