Chapter 10 Summary

That evening, the Breuer family holds their Friday evening supper with Mathilde's sisters and their families. These suppers are a tradition, and normally after dinner Breuer retires to his study with his brother-in-law Max, an ugly and overweight urologist. Josef and Max usually play chess together on Friday evenings, but Josef feels too agitated about Nietzsche this night to play chess. Having no one else to talk to, he explains the situation to Max and asks for advice.

As Max speaks, it is clear that he is a vulgar and immoral man. He talks about his sexual affairs and temptations regarding prostitutes, but he gives Breuer some good advice about Nietzsche. Breuer and Max have known each other since they were in medical school, even before they married into the same family. Max reminds Breuer of the way he challenged the professors in...