# LXXII explained — The Painted Veil

> Chapter companion for The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

Kitty stays with the Townsends in Hong Kong and faces Charlie Townsend again. She observes his discomfort and her own contempt for him, while reflecting on the contrast between their luxurious life and the suffering she witnessed in Mei-tan-fu.

## Themes in this chapter

### Self-Deception and Truth

Kitty sees through Charlie's insincere sympathy and her own past illusions, recognizing the truth of his vanity and her contempt.

### Class and Social Status

The contrast between the Townsends' luxurious home and the missionary bungalow highlights the social and material divide.

## Character check-ins

### Kitty Fane

Staying with the Townsends, she confronts Charlie with sardonic satisfaction and reflects on her past.

### Charles Townsend

Greets Kitty with forced cordiality, masking his mortification over their last interview.

### Dorothy Townsend

Arranges Kitty's stay and mediates the encounter with Charlie.

## Key lines

> She hoped that she had hurt him as much as he had hurt her. He must hate her now. She was glad to think that she did not hate, but only despised him.

Kitty wished her presence caused Charlie as much pain as he had caused her, and she took satisfaction in feeling contempt rather than hatred.

_Kitty's emotional stance toward Charlie after their affair and his betrayal._

> She remembered with a faint shudder the bare and empty parlour of the missionary’s bungalow; the rattan chairs and the kitchen-table with its cotton cloth, the stained shelves with all those cheap editions of novels, and the little skimpy red curtains that had such a dusty look.

Kitty recalled the stark simplicity of the missionary bungalow in Mei-tan-fu, contrasting it with the Townsends' comfortable home.

_Reflection on the material and emotional distance between her past and present._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/chapters/lxxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/chapters