What he found in The Love of God [by Francis de Sales] astonished him a little, but all the same it encouraged him. "Among the reflections and resolutions it is good to make use of colloquies, and speak sometimes to our Lord, sometimes to the Angels, to the Saints, and to oneself, to one's own heart, to sinners, and even sometimes to inanimate creatures. . . . ." He said to Rocinante, "Forgive me. I have driven you too hard," and fell into a dreamless sleep. (pp. 77-78)
I have often conversed with and prayed to inanimate creatures. Like Quixote, my vehicle receives most of my entreaties. I had no idea that any Catholic theologian would have approved. In this and other ways, Quixote broadens my understanding of faith.