You are incorrect. These files ARE links to something - most likely each other. You may be confused because they are hard links rather than symbolic links.
With a symbolic link the link has an "l" in first position of permissions then has --> pointing to the regular file to which it is linked. For hard links both items have the same information except for name because both are actually using the same inode. A symbolic link doesn't use the same inode for the link - it has a separate inode that points to the inode of the file to which it is linked.
The number before the owner (user) of the file is the number of hard links. Both your files have a "2" meaning each has at least one link. Given that all other parameters than name are the same for both and the fact changing one changes the other its an odds on bet they are hard links of each other.
To verify it use the -i flag of ls as it shows you the inode.
See the following examples:
HARD LINKS:
#Create the original file
# Notice the file has a 1 before the owner (user)
0 -rw-r--r-- 1 jlightne jlightne 0 Jun 13 16:06 hardlink1
# Create hardlink2 as a HARD link of hardlink1
Code:
ln hardlink1 hardlink2
# Notice now both files exist and both have the same details except for name. Both also now have a 2 before the owner (user).
0 -rw-r--r-- 2 jlightne jlightne 0 Jun 13 16:06 hardlink1
0 -rw-r--r-- 2 jlightne jlightne 0 Jun 13 16:06 hardlink2
# List the files with the inodes. Notice both have the same inode number (4131).
4131 0 -rw-r--r-- 2 jlightne jlightne 0 Jun 13 16:06 hardlink1
4131 0 -rw-r--r-- 2 jlightne jlightne 0 Jun 13 16:06 hardlink2
SOFT LINKS
# Create the original file and list it as above - pretty much the same.
0 -rw-r--r-- 1 jlightne jlightne 0 Jun 13 16:06 softlink1
# Now create the soft link named softlink2 linked to softlink1
Code:
ln -s softlink1 softlink2
# Notice how the details of the two files are different. One is a regular file and the other is a symbolic link (a/k/a slink).
0 -rw-r--r-- 1 jlightne jlightne 0 Jun 13 16:06 softlink1
0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 jlightne jlightne 9 Jun 13 16:07 softlink2 -> softlink1
# Doing ls asking for inode you see that they have two separate inodes (4132 and 4133 respectively).
4132 0 -rw-r--r-- 1 jlightne jlightne 0 Jun 13 16:06 softlink1
4133 0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 jlightne jlightne 9 Jun 13 16:07 softlink2 -> softlink1
Edit: By name above I mean of course the fully qualified path name. The basenames of the files can be (and in your case are) the same so long as they are in different directories.
Also hard links can't cross filesystem boundaries but symbolic links can (in fact this was the main benefit to slinks when they were first introduced).
