本
=
一
+
木
:
Beelzebub (b) finds a Christmas tree (木) in the encampment ((e)n3) and feels like eating its roots (本). He uses a flute (一) to chop the roots right off.
末
=
一
+
木
:
Mnemonic symbol: a Jehovah’s Witness, because they think the end (末) is near.
Mahatma Gandhi (m) set up a giant flute (一) on a Christmas tree (木), trying to raise awareness for the Roof of the World in the observatory's bathroom (o4). He chose the flute and the tree as symbols for the sky and nature, but as Jehovah’s Witness (末) enters, she thinks it's the sky that has fallen down on our heads, and the end (末) of days is ultimately here.
lit. to invert root and branch (idiom); fig. confusing cause and effect / to stress the incidental over the fundamental / to put the cart before the horse