Of Human Bondage · Chapter
XCII explained
Philip returns home to find Mildred settling into his flat, caring for her baby and doing housework.
What happens
Philip returns home to find Mildred settling into his flat, caring for her baby and doing housework. He maintains a platonic distance, insisting she is only there as a housekeeper. At the tavern, he learns of a stock market opportunity he missed, deepening his financial anxiety. Mildred attempts to rekindle intimacy, but Philip firmly rejects her advances, asserting his boundaries.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Disillusionment
Philip reflects on his past pain over Mildred and now feels only pity, illustrating his disillusionment with love and the fading of intense emotions.
Class and Social Mobility
Mildred's lie to the landlady about being married to Philip underscores her concern with social respectability and the precariousness of her class position.
Isolation and Belonging
Philip's insistence on keeping Mildred at a distance and his solitary walks home highlight his ongoing struggle with intimacy and belonging.
Characters to notice
- Philip Carey
Maintains a platonic relationship with Mildred, feels pity rather than love, and is anxious about his finances after missing a stock market opportunity.
- Mildred Rogers
Settles into Philip's flat, performs domestic duties, lies to the landlady about being married to Philip, and attempts to seduce him but is rebuffed.
- Macalister
Philosophic stockbroker who shares stock tips at the tavern; he made a profit for Hayward and Lawson but Philip missed out.
- Hayward
Present at the tavern, made fifty pounds from Macalister's stock tip, engages in arguments with Macalister.
- Frederick Lawson
Also at the tavern, profited from the stock tip, pleased with his recent success as a portrait painter.
Key passages
“I feel I couldn't. I can't explain it, but it would spoil it all.”
Philip tells Mildred he cannot be intimate with her because it would ruin the arrangement they have.
Philip asserts his boundary, prioritizing a platonic relationship over physical desire.
“It's just like old times, Phil.”
Mildred tries to evoke nostalgia by calling Philip by the nickname Griffiths used, hoping to rekindle their past romance.
Mildred's attempt at intimacy is met with Philip's emotional detachment.
“My God, why didn't you write to me? If you only knew how useful a hundred pounds would be to me.”
Philip regrets missing the stock tip, as he is desperate for money with only six hundred pounds left.
Philip's financial anxiety is heightened by the missed opportunity.