We don't see Riley himself.
We don't even know who is Riley until his funeral.
Everyone talks about him, has a relationship with him,
but everyone talks about each others, too.
Can Riley be called MacGuffin?
But he is not being chased by, he just be talked about again and again.
If I am not here or anywhere, I wish I could be like Riley.
Being talked about, cared about, that will makes me feel better.
But in a good way, not in that kind of...uh.......