I really like Euro's caricature theory- it would explain how Percy, Phinneas, and Mrs. Black behaved so one-dimensionally- Percy was angry, Phinneas was unfeeling, and Mrs. Black was prejudiced, and that's all they were. That's only how people see them. Photographs just seem to capture about five seconds of your life. The exception, though, is
Penelope Clearwater's nose getting blotchy and hiding her nose under the frame. I've never understood that part.