“We carry within us the wonders we seek without us.”
Thomas Browne
Section III begins with the group of creatures that once were men sitting around listening to the teacher read the newspaper. As he reads the newspaper they often get into arguments over various subjects based on the articles that the teacher reads. Here we learn more about Kuvalda’s view about merchants.
Gorky writes: “If someone has robbed the merchant, "That is good," says he. "Only it is a pity they robbed him of so little." If his horses have broken down, "It is sad that he is still alive." If the merchant has lost his suit in court, "It is a pity that the costs were not double the amount."
As they drink more vodka and continue to read the paper Kuvalda continues on his rant. "If I wrote for the papers," he shouts, "I would show up the merchant in his true colors . . . I would show that he is a beast, playing for a time the role of a man. I understand him! He is a rough boor, does not know the meaning of the words 'good taste,' has no notion of patriotism, and his knowledge is not worth five ...
