Soru

For three decades, Marcus had polished the mahogany counter of the apothecary shop until it gleamed like a fresh chestnut. Every morning, he arrived at exactly seven, hung his coat on the third peg from the door, and arranged the cobalt blue bottles by height. The town outside had changed; dirt roads had been paved, gas lamps replaced by electric hums, and the children he once sold peppermint drops to now brought their own grandchildren in for cough syrup. Yet Marcus remained behind his counter, wrapped in the same wool vest, using the same brass scale to weigh lavender and chamomile. When a young assistant suggested organizing the bottles alphabetically to save time, Marcus merely stared through his spectacles, adjusted his collar, and placed a jar of ointment back in its designated spot, murmuring that the old ways had served them well enough. He felt a quiet comfort in the dust motes dancing in the familiar shafts of morning light, undisturbed by the hurried pace of the street beyond.

In the passage, the description of Marcus’s daily routine and his reaction to the assistant's suggestion primarily serves to convey which of the following?