# Chapter LXXX explained — Of Human Bondage

> Chapter companion for Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

Philip continues his medical studies, observing the attrition of his cohort. He learns from Ramsden about the aftermath of Mildred's affair with Griffiths: her obsessive pursuit, Griffiths' attempts to break free, and the eventual end of their relationship. Philip feigns indifference but is inwardly affected.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Obsession

Mildred's obsessive pursuit of Griffiths and Philip's lingering emotional turmoil illustrate the destructive side of love.

### Suffering and Disillusionment

Philip's feigned indifference masks deep pain; Mildred's humiliation and Griffiths' callousness highlight disillusionment.

## Character check-ins

### Philip Carey

Continues medical studies, feigns indifference upon hearing of Mildred and Griffiths' breakup.

### Mildred Rogers

Obsessively pursues Griffiths after their weekend together; eventually rebuffed and vanishes.

### Griffiths

Grows bored with Mildred, avoids her, and finally breaks off contact.

### Ramsden

Griffiths' admirer who relays the story of Mildred's pursuit to Philip.

## Key lines

> The unwieldy crowd which had entered the Medical School nearly two years before had thinned out: some had left the hospital, finding the examinations more difficult to pass than they expected, some had been taken away by parents who had not foreseen the expense of life in London, and some had drifted away to other callings.

The large group that started medical school two years ago had shrunk due to failed exams, financial strain, or career changes.

_Describes the attrition among medical students._

> Little by little he discovered the history of Mildred's relations with Griffiths. He listened with a smile on his lips, feigning an equanimity which quite deceived the dull-witted boy who talked to him.

Gradually, Philip learned the details of Mildred and Griffiths' affair, hiding his true feelings behind a calm facade.

_Philip's internal struggle while hearing about Mildred._

> She vanished into the vast anonymous mass of the population of London.

Mildred disappeared into the faceless crowd of London.

_Mildred's disappearance from Philip's immediate circle._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/lxxx
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/of_human_bondage_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters