# LXXXIV explained — Of Human Bondage

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

## What happens

Philip continues to care for the dying poet Cronshaw in his own rooms, enduring the condescension of Leonard Upjohn. At the hospital, Philip becomes a dresser in surgical outpatients under the brash Mr. Jacobs, who publicly humiliates him by using his clubfoot as a teaching example. Philip later considers the possibility of an operation to improve his foot, while Cronshaw's condition worsens.

## Themes in this chapter

### Suffering and Disillusionment

Philip endures both the physical decline of Cronshaw and the emotional torment of his own deformity being publicly exposed.

### Isolation and Belonging

Philip feels isolated among his peers and resents the callousness of Upjohn and Jacobs, longing for acceptance.

## Character check-ins

### Philip Carey

Struggles with the burden of caring for Cronshaw and endures public humiliation about his clubfoot from Mr. Jacobs.

### Cronshaw

Lies dying in Philip's rooms, refusing medical help and insisting on whiskey and cigarettes.

### Leonard Upjohn

Visits Cronshaw frequently but offers no practical help; patronizes Philip and criticizes the setting of Cronshaw's death.

### Jacobs

The assistant-surgeon who uses Philip's clubfoot as a teaching demonstration, causing Philip deep humiliation.

## Key lines

> I wish you had left him in Soho. There was a touch of romance in that sordid attic. I could even bear it if it were Wapping or Shoreditch, but the respectability of Kennington! What a place for a poet to die!

Upjohn complains that Cronshaw's death in a respectable area like Kennington lacks the romantic squalor of Soho or the East End.

_Upjohn's aesthetic snobbery contrasts with Philip's practical compassion._

> You don't mind taking off your sock for a moment, Carey?

Mr. Jacobs publicly asks Philip to remove his sock to show his clubfoot as a teaching example.

_This moment forces Philip to relive the shame of his deformity in front of his peers._

> I daresay they are killing me. I don't care. You've warned me, you've done all that was necessary: I ignore your warning. Give me something to drink and be damned to you.

Cronshaw dismisses Philip's medical advice, insisting on whiskey and cigarettes despite knowing they hasten his death.

_Cronshaw's fatalism and defiance reflect his nihilistic worldview._

## Links

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