Kovalyov's ego takes another hit when he goes to the newspaper office to post an ad about his missing nose. There, the self-important Kovalyov is forced to wait with shop-keepers, porters, and out-of-work coachmen and housemaids, all looking to place ads in the paper. Also, when he talks to the clerk, his crisis is given no more respect than a lost poodle.
None of these things have ever bothered Kovalyov before- indeed, he is part of the corrupt system. Then, however, he has a situation which threatens his place in society, and because of the very system from which he has previously benefited, can't get any competent help. Selfish to the core, he is only troubled by these things when they affect his life directly, being completely oblivious to the troubles of others. And, in the end, when Kovalyov gets his nose back, he reverts to being the same person he was before. His experience has not changed him, or caused him to reevaluate his life in any way. Rather, we see that he buys more ribbons with which to bedeck his uniform and returns to his habitual flirting with women. Gogol seems to be saying that human nature is inherently selfish and not prone to change unless forced to do so.
Those are my thoughts on Nikolai Gogol's The Nose, which is a ridiculous story with some semi-serious things to say about vanity, false pride, and social facades.