Chapter 2, Hosny Allam Summary

Bored at the Cecil Hotel, Hosny is directed to the Miramar, where at first sight he is sure that Zohra will fall in love with him. Mariana, whom he takes for an aging French madame and hopes that she is not retired, gives him a room. Watching Zohra make the bed, he finds her serious. He obsesses about being turned down for marriage. At breakfast Hosny meets and instantly finds beneath himself Amer, Tolba, and Sarhan, although he endures Sarhan in case he may prove useful some day. Hosny drives his Ford at top speed to relieve tension. He picks up a girl in the Metro Cinema and forgets her name before he gets home. He wonders whether Zohra's behavior conceals cunning or fear. Encounters with the old people increases Hosny's hatred. When Mariana introduces Mansour, Hosny finds him...