Chapter 7 Summary

The narrator's money and food are completely gone. He tries to catch a fish in the Seine, but is unsuccessful. On the third day without food, the narrator and Boris decide to pawn their overcoats. The Jew has taken Boris' last two franks, so Boris decides he must move out before the Jew does, so the landlady won't come after him for rent.

They pawn their overcoats and are overjoyed to get fifty franks for them. Boris remembers that a man in the Rue Fondary owes him 4,000 franks, so they go to find him. They find the man, who says that Boris owes him 4,000 franks, and, after a long dispute, they leave empty-handed.

Chapter 7 Analysis

So far the plot has consisted of a daily battle against poverty, which seems meager as far as plots go. However, the tension and conflict are great because...