# XXX: Epilogue explained — The Red Room

> Chapter companion for The Red Room by August Strindberg.

## What happens

Three years after his marriage, Arvid Falk has reconciled with society, become a respectable civil servant, and lives with his wife in a dilapidated but beloved old house. The chapter describes their home, the critical visits from relatives, and their quiet, contented domestic life, contrasting the world's expectations of marital happiness with their genuine companionship.

## Themes in this chapter

### Illusion vs. Reality

The ugly house is seen as beautiful by the couple, and the world's demand for visible happiness contrasts with their private contentment.

### Social Class and Inequality

Falk's rise to respectability and the critical attitudes of relatives reflect class consciousness and social judgment.

## Character check-ins

### Arvid Falk

Now a respectable civil servant and member of Parliament, married and living in the old house.

### Isaac Levi

Faithful friend who helps prepare the home and later serves chocolate during the wedding.

### Dr. Borg

Visits briefly with Levin, representing the skeptical, scientific view of marriage.

### Fritz Levin

Accompanies Borg on a brief, disagreeable visit.

### Eugenia Falk

Sister-in-law who visits with Mrs. Homan and criticizes the home's decor.

### Mrs. Homan

Visits with Eugenia Falk and joins in criticizing the household furnishings.

## Key lines

> Doubtless there is not another street in Stockholm as ugly, and not another house as old, as dirty, and as gloomy.

The street and house are described as the ugliest and most dilapidated in Stockholm.

_Sets the scene for the couple's sentimental attachment to their home._

> The world demands that a couple which has three times given the clergyman the trouble to read the banns... shall be happy—woe to it if it is not!

Society expects married couples to be happy, and punishes them if they appear otherwise.

_Highlights the theme of illusion vs. reality in marriage._

> He laid down the proposition that the moment must come when every subject had been discussed... and when absolute silence was bound to reign. The fool!

Borg argued that married couples would eventually run out of things to say, but the narrator dismisses this as foolish.

_Contrasts Borg's cynical view with the couple's ongoing communication._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_red_room_se/chapters/xxx-epilogue
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_red_room_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_red_room_se/chapters