The man is wearing a blazer which has many notes on it, those notes are to show that he is a migrant. The notes and badges are to show that he is a migrant.

Shaun Tan shows that he has been affected in the process as the man is worried and is thinking in the process but also because he is unable to answer the questions. The man in the photo is worried and is thinking quite a lot which shows the man is scared in case he gets sent back to his country.