A word, phrase or image that returns several times throughout the work, tied to a character or an idea, and gains meaning with each return.
In White Nights
And the cobweb, I took it all off the ceiling; now one can even get married and invite guests.
The “cobweb” has appeared since the First Night as a sign of the Dreamer's room and life. Now that the maid takes it down, the same object returns with another meaning: the room is clean for a life that will not come.
Third and Fourth Nights and the Morning: The wait and the outcome, Matryona