Lines 5156-5310 Summary

The narrator turns angrily on Reason. Instead of loving, asks the narrator, does Reason expect him to hate instead? Reason denies this, and begins a lengthy description of the benefits of friendship.

Lines 5156-5310 Analysis

The narrator is again acting as a "devil's advocate" and his response to Reason seems designed as an introduction to the next discourse. The transition from Reason's first discussion of the evils of sexual immorality to the discussion of the virtues of friendship is not particularly subtle, with the narrator literally asking for the subsequent "essay" on friendship.

However, it is interesting to note that the narrator states that Reason has already mentioned "another love" in her earlier discourse. This seems rather puzzling at first glance, as the previous discussion has mostly touched on sexual morality, where the only love approved of seems to be a...