# XCIX explained — Of Human Bondage

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

## What happens

Philip, now penniless after losing his inheritance, struggles to survive. He pawns his clothes, eats only one meal a day, and avoids borrowing money out of shame. He searches desperately for work but is hindered by his clubfoot, lack of qualifications, and pride. The possibility of suicide crosses his mind, but he dismisses it. His landlady, Mrs. Higgins, offers him food, but he refuses out of embarrassment. He considers writing to his father's executor but cannot bring himself to do so.

## Themes in this chapter

### Suffering and Disillusionment

Philip's physical hunger, shame, and contemplation of suicide illustrate his profound suffering and disillusionment with his circumstances.

### Class and Social Mobility

Philip's fall from relative comfort to near-destitution highlights the precariousness of social standing and the shame associated with poverty.

## Character check-ins

### Philip Carey

Penniless and ashamed, Philip pawns his clothes, eats minimally, and searches for work. He refuses help from his landlady and avoids borrowing from friends.

### Frederick Lawson

Philip briefly borrows five pounds from Lawson but returns it untouched out of shame.

### Thorpe Athelny

Philip relies on Sunday dinners at the Athelny household but hesitates to reveal his poverty.

### Mrs. Higgins

Philip's landlady, who demands payment and offers him a meal, which he refuses.

## Key lines

> I’d sooner starve, Philip muttered to himself.

Philip resolved that he would rather go hungry than ask for help from those who disapproved of him.

_Reflects Philip's stubborn pride and refusal to seek assistance from his father's executor._

> Once or twice the possibility of suicide presented itself to him; it would be easy to get something from the hospital dispensary, and it was a comfort to think that if the worst came to the worst he had at hand means of making a painless end of himself; but it was not a course that he considered seriously.

Philip briefly considered suicide as an escape from his financial troubles, but he never seriously entertained the idea.

_Highlights Philip's despair tempered by a lingering will to live._

## Links

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