What is the importance of stories and storytelling in the novel, What Are You Going Through?

In the novel, stories and storytelling symbolize human attempts to make sense of the world. While spending time together in the rental house, the narrator reads various types of stories to the friend, and they discuss the functions of different types of stories. None of the stories seem to perfectly capture any aspect of the characters’ lives, but the stories still help the characters to reflect upon life itself.