Chapter XXII Summary

Here the little prince meets a switchman. The switchman operates the switch that moves the trains from one track to the next. The two converse briefly about how fast trains move, where the passengers are going, and what they're looking for. The switchman tells the prince that the passengers are mostly asleep and aren't really pursuing anything. Only the children have their noses against the glass. Only the children are looking out with curiosity and wonder.

Chapter XXII Analysis

Several chapters in this book fit this particular pattern. In this chapter, as in other very short chapters, a central idea related to grown-up behavior is demonstrated and commented upon, rather quickly. It is part of the catalogue of grown-up oddities that the author wishes to make us aware of. In this case, the switchman points out how people on fast moving...