Presumably they arent left in a box just barely large enough for them to stand in either. I'm not sure what your point is. Do you think the MITD is pressing his face up against the bars of the box when he's awake? Or is it more likely that he's just standing there, and then falls asleep in the same position he was standing in?
ETA: isnt the box cardboard? He absolutely cannot actually be leaning against it, awake or otherwise. It would break.
Fish do have eyes though, which makes me rather certain you have missed the point I was making.