Letters II, III, V, VI, VII, VIII, and IX Summary and Analysis

Letter II: Seneca praises Lucilius' virtue and devotion to his studies. He warns him not to spread his studies among too many books; rather, one ought to focus on a narrow range of writers. It is not possible to absorb the full meaning of a text if one quickly changes to something entirely different. He then interprets a quote from Epicurus (a writer whom he does not particularly like) which makes reference to "cheerful poverty." In Seneca's mind, such a thing is oxymoronic, because what truly causes poverty is not the lack of wealth, but desiring it. The virtuous man will want only what he needs to survive and nothing more.

Letter III: Seneca chastises Lucilius for not discussing his personal affairs with his "friend...