Section 9 Summary

This section begins with the phrase, "As I've told you, there were lots of blacks and small whites..."

Bardamu is still in Ft. Gono, about to depart for his new post in the bush. Observing the dockworkers, he marvels at the differences between the natives and the white men. The former must be driven to work with clubs and thus preserve some dignity, while the whites work voluntarily, having had their "hearts and minds crammed full of the hope of becoming rich and powerful." Bardamu's boss, the Director, takes great pride in having built an economy of peanuts and rubber. "This is life, Bardamu...peanuts!" he exclaims. However, his pride does not prevent him from an intense ambition to swindle the company.

Bardamu's only ambition is to get sick and return to the hospital. While everyone else in the town seems intent on...