: The phrase could be the title of a novel, short story, art project, or film that incorporates themes of beauty, desperation, and possibly involves a pawn shop as a significant setting.

To understand how a pawn shop in the Czech Republic became the setting for what collectors call “the most uncomfortable art ever filmed,” we have to look at the economic miracle-turned-nightmare of the early 2000s.

Pavel looked at the garnet necklace. Then at the back wall, where five small, locked rooms waited. Room 5 was the exclusive one. He unlocked it.