SO, in the precedent chapter, Benjamin has realized that as he was growing younger, he wanted to take advantage of the gay side of life. Moreover, he saw his wife becoming older and older and he realized the gap between them was widening. Now he is come back from the war where he was for 3 years.
Hildegarde is now forty. When Benjamin sees his reflection in the mirror, he can notice that he is unfortunately still growing younger. Benjamin feels worried and scared about his problem and his terrible destiny.
As Hildegarde hasn’t talk about Benjamin’s ungrowth, he asks her if she never notice that he was younger and younger. Hildegarde reacts harshly and blames Benjamin to be braggart. She thinks he is stubborn and he wants to be different from everyone. Benjamin doesn’t reply and after this argument something was broke between them.
Moreover, he feels more and more concerned by young activities and young people (especially young girls) always under his desperate wife’s eyes as she disapproves his behaving. People begin to criticize the relation between them as they don’t understand how a young boy like him can be attached to an old woman like her.
In 1906 Benjamin begins to dance and he becomes an expert. So Benjamin doesn’t want to work anymore but he knows that he could soon hand his activities to his son Roscoe.
In the end, we learn that Benjamin hates to appear in public with his wife as he is shameful and he feels