“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”
Blaise Pascal
“Not to him who is offensive to us are we most unfair, but to him who doth not concern us at all.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
Section II begins by introducing a new series of characters into the story. These are the regulars who stay at the dosshouse. Each has a unique story. One of those mentioned is a boy that they called Kuvalda Meteor.
Here is an excerpt from his introduction to the story:
"Boy! What business have you here on this earth?"
The boy answered boldly and stoutly:
"I am a barefooted tramp. . . ."
"You are a fool!" decided Aristid Kuvalda. "what are you knocking about here for? You are of absolutely no use to us . . . Do you drink vodki? . . . No? . . . Well, then, can you steal?" Again, "No." "Go away, learn, and come back again when you know something, and are a man. . . ."
The youngster smiled. "No. I shall live with you."
"Why?"
"Just because. . . ."
After Gorky finished introducing the new cast of characters he notes:
“The above were the chief members of the Captain's company, and he called them with kind-hearted sarcasm "Creatures that once were Men." For though there were men who had experienced as much of the ...
