# Barry's Adieu to Military Profession explained — The Luck of Barry Lyndon

> Chapter companion for The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray.

## What happens

Barry is reunited with his uncle, the Chevalier de Balibari, in Berlin. He learns that his uncle is a professional gambler and spy, and the two form a partnership to cheat at cards. Barry serves as his uncle's valet and confederate, using coded signals to help him win at the gaming tables. Barry also continues to report to Monsieur de Potzdorff, feeding him carefully crafted information about his uncle's activities.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Delusion

Barry and his uncle engage in elaborate deception at the card table, while Barry also deceives Potzdorff with false reports.

### Fate and Luck

Barry reflects on the uncertainty of gambling, noting that even with skill, luck can overturn any advantage.

### Class and Pedigree

The Chevalier laments the loss of the Barry family lands and the decline of their noble lineage.

## Character check-ins

### Barry Lyndon

Reunited with his uncle, learns the gambling trade, and becomes a confederate in card-sharping.

### Monsieur de Balibari

Barry's uncle, a professional gambler and spy who uses his nephew as an assistant in his schemes.

### Monsieur de Potzdorff

Barry's contact in the Prussian service, to whom he reports fabricated intelligence about his uncle.

### Lord Deuceace

A young English attaché and skilled card player who is a target of the Chevalier's gambling schemes.

### Nora Brady

Mentioned by Barry as the object of his romantic passion, amusing his uncle.

## Key lines

> You who have never been out of your country, know little what it is to hear a friendly voice in captivity; and there's many a man that will not understand the cause of the burst of feeling which I have confessed took place on my seeing my uncle.

Those who have never left home cannot understand the overwhelming emotion of hearing a familiar voice while imprisoned or stranded abroad.

_Barry describes the deep emotional impact of unexpectedly meeting his uncle in Berlin._

> Play—play has been my ruin; that and beauty

Gambling and women have been the cause of my downfall.

_The Chevalier confesses to Barry that his vices have led to his ruin._

> Everything successful is simple. If, for instance, I wiped the dust off a chair with my napkin, it was to show that the enemy was strong in diamonds; if I pushed it, he had ace, king; if I said, 'Punch or wine, my Lord?' hearts was meant; if 'Wine or punch?' clubs.

Our cheating system was based on simple, everyday signals: wiping a chair indicated diamonds, pushing it meant ace-king, and offering punch or wine signaled hearts or clubs.

_Barry explains the coded signals he and his uncle used to communicate during card games._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/chapters/viii-barry-s-adieu-to-military-profession
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- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_luck_of_barry_lyndon_se/chapters