Section 6 Summary

This section begins with the phrase, "While the war was still on..."

Bardamu muses on the need for sex and love in wartime; "love is harder to give up than life" he admits and thinks we spent our time either killing, or adoring, or both. We do all we can to reproduce, as though that would make us immortal; it does not.

The place for satisfying such urges is Madame Herote's lingerie shop, in the rich end of town. Mme. Herote combines her physical attractiveness with her business acumen and thereby makes a small fortune. Mme. Herote's profit-motivation is so strong and pure that Bardamu refers to her "rapacious, pious mercantile aims."

Mme. Herote surrounds herself with beautiful, artistic friends and Bardamu falls in love with an angelic violinist named Musyne, who often performs for the troops. Their life together is quickly spoiled...