You can add them to your stone collection :) No but really, they were supposed to be a collectible like the logs, but I dropped that idea along the development. So yeah they were pointless :D That said, your comment gave me the idea to add some functionality to them..
As for the gnome, yeah, he's pretty quick on his feet. The gnome introduction level is kinda shit too atm because he seems to get stuck on the infinite corridor :D But you can have a better chance at survival by checking directions before picking up an item, because when you're in a staring contest he won't move. Even then though, sometimes he just happens to be around the corner at an intersection when you're checking the opposite direction. Or the non-euclidian maze screws you over. And so on.
But yeah I'll be updating the game soon-ish to deliver a better experience