20 Things You Didn't Know About A Serious Man

In one of Larry's nightmares, Sy Abelman (Fred Melamed) appears to him in a dream and paraphrases former German chancellor Otto von Bismarck's famous quote to him, framing it as ''mathematics is the art of the possible.''

Given the original meaning of the saying, it is a possible reference to (the often difficult) compromises Larry had made in his family and professional life. These include moving out of his home to accommodate Sy Abelman's relationship with his wife Judith (Sari Lennick), looking after his older brother Arthur, taking a bribe from one of his students, and even paying for Sy's funeral despite his financial troubles.

The paraphrasing of the quote may also symbolize Sy's manipulative and selfish nature and it may be Larry's way of trying to see through the laidback and gentle front Sy affects in order to make sense of his marital woes. It would make sense, given how the nightmare is set in his lecture room, and prior to Sy's visit he was solving a complex mathematical equation.