[[1]](#ftnt_ref1)Even the classic tenet in playwriting, Chekhov’s Gun--the idea that an author should not put a gun on the wall in the set of a play unless it will go off later--can be explained in terms of gestalt theory. The presence of a gun opens a gestalt. If it does not go off, the audience wastes their attention speculating about it for the entire play, and they feel disappointed. On the other hand, if at long last, the gun does go off, their attention was worthwhile.