I have never read this book, so I don't know if it is relevant, but it's interesting to ponder… as was my realization that the scarification dream symbol can be found on the underbelly of the Blue Whale!
You are getting just a bit lazy with your conscious mind… but your subconscious is overflowing with stuff… and it is right under your nose.
That book is exactly what you needed, and your dream about Clifford F.B. got you there.
Just the highlights from the story you provide shows a lot of what is going on… what you are identifying with because you choose certain words to describe the book…. or at least choose the parts even copy/pasted that really spoke to you.
To me, the dream is telling that everything is going to be okay, things will work out – even if it doesn't look like it now. Given time, things will come together for you. And you will find happiness.
You can have wakeful dream states -where the subconscious speaks to you through images you see while you are awake, such as watching a film, reading a book, listening to the radio, seeing an image like on a t-shirt. All of these can be a source of inspiration.
The point is to be open to any image that strikes you in an unusual way. If you find yourself mesmerized by it… that is a sign that your subconscious is trying to say something to you. Think on that thing… it will eventually come to your conscious mind… and if not, the subconscious will have tucked it away to help you in some way you might not even be aware of.
I was just wondering whether this dream speaks to you now, one year later.