We all felt for him. Standing there in Mr Rhineheart’s office. You may have experienced similar… Blah, blah, blah, corporate policy, blah, part of a team, blah, blah. Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir.

The dull, drudgery of office life, another cog in the corporate wheel. It may seem to be a rather insignificant scene, but here, we are being given insight as to the nature of the real Matrix. This is reinforced by the following interview with agent Smith, which is much of the same, just escalated to a higher level. Both these scenes set the framework for the authoritative, hierarchical structure of the Matrix.

Rhineheart is a typical heirophant, on the company level. He enforces adherence to a typical company structure. You must be at your desk on time… blah, blah, blah. Rules that make non-creative people feel superior to creative people.

The concepts behind this scene are reinforced, by the following, similar reprimand by Smith. It’s the same structure, the same comply or suffer rules, just a bit further up the pyramid from corporate level to government level.

Also in this scene is a reference to Neo’s duality, having two lives. One as a respectable citizen, the socially responsible and boring picture of normality. The other as a hacker, rising to exciting challenges, pitting his knowledge and abilities against those above him.