diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildAliasSets.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildAliasSets.ts
index 726f359db7..efcde31a76 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildAliasSets.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildAliasSets.ts
@@ -17,58 +17,47 @@ class AbstractState {
   aliases = new DisjointSet<Identifier>();
   #values = new Map<Identifier, AbstractValue>();
 
-  // Simple lvalue:
-  //   lvalue = alias;
-  //   lvalue = alias.memberPath;
-  alias(lvalue: LValue, alias: Place) {
+  read(alias: Place): AbstractValue {
     // Simple alias:
-    //    lvalue = alias;
+    //    read(alias);
     if (alias.memberPath === null) {
       let value = this.#values.get(alias.identifier);
 
-      // Don't know what this, let's default to an Object conservatively.
+      // Don't know what this is, let's default to an Object conservatively.
       if (value === undefined) {
         value = { kind: "Object", values: new Map() };
       }
 
-      this.#values.set(lvalue.place.identifier, value);
-
-      // No need to alias Primitives
-      if (value.kind !== "Primitive") {
-        this.aliases.union([lvalue.place.identifier, alias.identifier]);
-      }
-      return;
+      this.#values.set(alias.identifier, value);
+      return value;
     }
 
     // Complex alias:
-    //   lvalue = alias.memberPath;
-    if (alias.memberPath.length > 1) {
-      // TODO(gsn): Handle nested member paths
-      return;
-    }
-
+    //   read(alias.memberPath);
     let object = this.#values.get(alias.identifier);
 
-    // Don't know what this, let's default to an Object conservatively.
+    // Don't know what this is, let's default to an Object conservatively.
     if (object === undefined) {
       object = { kind: "Object", values: new Map() };
+      this.#values.set(alias.identifier, object);
     }
 
     // We're doing a member lookup on a non object.
     //
     //   alias = 1;
-    //   lvalue = alias.memberPath;
+    //   read(alias.memberPath);
     if (object.kind !== "Object") {
+      // Update alias to be an object
+      object = { kind: "Object", values: new Map() };
+      this.#values.set(alias.identifier, object);
+
       // Conservatively type the value as object.
       //
       // NOTE(gsn): Should this be an AbstractUnknown rather than an
       // AbstractObject?
-      this.#values.set(lvalue.place.identifier, {
-        kind: "Object",
-        values: new Map(),
-      });
-      this.aliases.union([lvalue.place.identifier, alias.identifier]);
-      return;
+      let value: AbstractObject = { kind: "Object", values: new Map() };
+      object.values.set(alias.memberPath[0], value);
+      return value;
     }
 
     let value = object.values.get(alias.memberPath[0]);
@@ -76,21 +65,34 @@ class AbstractState {
     // We don't have a value for this member path.
     //
     //   alias = {};
-    //   lvalue = alias.memberPath;
+    //   read(alias.memberPath);
     if (value === undefined) {
       // Conservatively type the value as object.
-      this.#values.set(lvalue.place.identifier, {
+      value = {
         kind: "Object",
         values: new Map(),
-      });
-      this.aliases.union([lvalue.place.identifier, alias.identifier]);
-      return;
+      };
+      object.values.set(alias.memberPath[0], value);
+      return value;
     }
 
     // We have a value for this memberPath!
     //
-    //    alias.memberPath = value;
-    //    lvalue = alias.memberPath;
+    //   alias.memberPath = value;
+    //   read(alias.memberPath);
+    return value;
+  }
+
+  // Simple lvalue:
+  //   lvalue = alias;
+  //   lvalue = alias.memberPath;
+  alias(lvalue: LValue, alias: Place) {
+    if (alias.memberPath !== null && alias.memberPath.length > 1) {
+      // TODO(gsn): Handle nested member paths
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const value = this.read(alias);
     this.#values.set(lvalue.place.identifier, value);
 
     // No need to alias Primitives.