Chapter 5 Summary

Dr. Breuer and Friedrich Nietzsche talk for ninety minutes. The examination is very thorough, and Nietzsche seems to have no reservations when talking in depth about his illness, his symptoms, and his physical well-being. Dr. Breuer is surprised about the complexity of Nietzsche's illness and tries continually to get Nietzsche to talk about his despair, but Nietzsche handily changes the subject away from suicide the closer Dr. Breuer gets to it.

Nietzsche tells Breuer that he is ill almost all the time and cooperates fully with the exam. Nietzsche says that his home is his steamer trunk and that he usually lives in hotels. He eats bland foods and abstains from alcohol and coffee. He spends most of his time writing, but his eyesight is too poor for reading. He likes walking and often walks four or five miles a day. He says...