Chapter 6 Summary

The young boy with no name is now identified as Leonard Bast. He stands on the edge of gentility, trying to elevate himself to the life that the Schlegel girls, Helen and Meg, enjoy. However, his mind and his body have been malnourished during his life and he has to make up for such neglect if he is ever going to attain an elevated status. Therefore, he makes the long walk to his rented basement flat and collapses in a chair to think about the evening.

He makes some tea and pulls out the latest book he has been reading, a volume of Ruskin. Leonard reads and feels the words he is reading, as he makes some notes, though he falls sullen, as his life cannot begin to compare to the vibrant life of Venice that was coming out at him through Ruskin's...