# Chapter XXXIX explained — Lavengro > Chapter companion for Lavengro by George Borrow. ## What happens The narrator describes the torment of working under a publisher who constantly interferes with his compilation of 'Lives and Trials,' altering the plan and demanding obscure additions. He then witnesses Lord Byron's funeral procession along Oxford Street, reflecting on the contrast between Byron's fame and the neglect of earlier poets like Milton and Otway. Later, Francis Ardry takes him to meet a boastful Irish patriot, Captain Torlough O'Donahue, who sings a drinking song. ## Themes in this chapter ### Freedom vs. Convention The narrator chafes under the publisher's oppressive control, while Byron's fame represents a different kind of freedom from convention. ### Social Class and Gentility The contrast between the aristocratic funeral of Byron and the neglected lives of earlier poets highlights class and social recognition. ## Character check-ins ### Lavengro The narrator struggles with the publisher's interference in his work and observes Byron's funeral. ### Francis Ardry Francis Ardry leads the narrator to meet Captain O'Donahue and discusses patriotism. ### Lord Byron Byron's funeral procession passes through Oxford Street, prompting the narrator's reflections on fame. ### The Master of the House The publisher who torments the narrator with constant demands and alterations to the work. ## Key lines > What a life! what a dog's life! The narrator laments the miserable existence forced upon him by the publisher. _Expresses the narrator's frustration with his work conditions._ > This man, this Byron, had for many years past been the demigod of England, and his verses the daily food of those who read, from the peer to the draper's assistant; all were admirers, or rather worshippers, of Byron, and all doted on his verses; and then I thought of those who, with genius as high as his, or higher, had lived and died neglected. The narrator contrasts Byron's immense popularity with the obscurity and poverty suffered by earlier great poets like Milton and Otway. _Reflects on the fickleness of fame and societal recognition._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se/chapters/xxxix - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se/chapters