The narrator explains that he has no father since he was a child, and his mother never cares about him. He was raised by his aunt, who is like his mother. Now her mother is ill, and he must care for her. In order to maintain his perfect image, he has to hide, but he knows that it is not true. He knows that if someone finds out the truth, everything he does will be vain. He admits that he is not a wealthy guy, but a "complete fraud" . He says that he pretends that he cares about nothing because his parents are busy with their careers, but have little time to care for him. So he has pretended that he does care about nothing. He wants to know that he shares the same mood as Cyril. He asks Cyril if he can have some wine, and Cyril says he can drink a bit. The narrator says he will send Cyril home