Chapter XIII Summary

The little prince meets a businessman obsessed with counting stars. This makes no sense to the prince, who wishes to know what the man does with the stars. When the man admits he simply counts them, the little prince is baffled. He goes on to explain that he too owns things: his flower and his planet. But unlike the businessman, who merely counts his possessions, the little prince actually cares for his. In this way, he tells the businessman, his ownership of them has meaning. But what meaning can come from simply counting stars? The businessman has no satisfactory answer to that question. So the little prince moves on.

Chapter XIII Analysis

The businessman is interested in ownership--not control. He simply wants to claim things. There isn't anything he can do with the stars he claims, he just likes the idea...