The Subject Of The Novel Is Reality

Revolution? Unscrew The Flag-staff, Wrap The Bunting In The Oil Covers, And Put The Thing In The Clothes-chest. Let The Old Lady Bring You Your House-slippers And Untie Your Fiery Red Necktie. You Always Make Revolutions With Your Mugs, Your Republic--nothing But An Industrial Accident.

Next-door A Baker's Apprentice With His Wife, An Employee In A Printing-shop, She Has Inflammation Of The Ovaries. Wonder What Those Two Get Out Of Life? Well, First Of All, They Get Each Other, Then Last Sunday A Vaudeville And A Film, Then This Or That Club Meeting And A Visit To His Parents. Nothing Else? Well Now, Don't Drop Dead, Sir. Add To That Nice Weather, Bad Weather, Country Picnics, Standing In Front Of The Stove, Eating Breakfast And So On. And What More Do You Get, You, Captain, General, Jockey, Whoever You Are? Don't Fool Yourself.

But Such Is Life, The Silliest Proverbs Prove To Be True, And When A Man Thinks, Now It's All Right, It's Not All Right By A Longshot. Man Proposes, God Disposes, And There's Always That Last Straw To Break The Camel's Back.

You Shouldn't Be A Big Shot About Your Fate. I'm An Enemy Of Destiny, I'm Not A Greek, I'm A Berliner.

That's How The Germans Are.... The Aristocrats At The Top Hard As Glass, Cold As Ice, Servants Of The King, The Working Masses Willing, Pliable, Sentimental, Susceptible To Brutality, The Middle Class Educated And Cowardly To The Point Of Servility.