Can you explain the concept of a proxy object in the context of prototyping?

A proxy object in the context of prototyping is an object that acts as an intermediary or substitute for another object (the prototype). It controls access to the prototype, can add additional behavior, or manage the object's lifecycle.

For example, when creating a copy of an object (cloning), a proxy can:

• Delay the creation of a full copy until it is actually needed (lazy initialization).
• Control access to the methods of the original object.
• Add logging or access rights verification.

This allows flexible management of objects without changing their internal implementation, which is useful in complex scenarios of object creation and usage.