Chapter 3 Summary

The ghostly laughter heard on the Pont des Arts is the first item of discussion in Chapter 3. Apparently Clamence has piqued the curiosity of the auditor with his odd, hallucinatory story. Clamence insists that he rarely thought of that laugh during his time in Paris. However, the laugh from this point forward is to occupy a central position in the story. Furthermore, in spite of the nonchalance with which Clamence tells the tale of the laughter, he admits that from then on he ceased walking the Paris quays and, when riding along them in a car or in a bus, he would find himself silenced by the memory, as if waiting for something to happen.

Next Clamence confesses to some physical and psychological problems that began to plague him at this point in his life, overturning his formerly exceptional health. During this discussion...