Pierre BOOK XVI

In which the weary travellers enter a somber city under a shroud of night, encountering its cold pavements and shadowy streets as a portent of the trials ahead; and Pierre, pressed by disappointment and vexation, seeks lodgings amidst a scene of tumult and urban hardness, his resolve tested by the graceless reception of a once-familiar dwelling and by the unruly denizens of a watch-house. In this environment of alien sounds and faces, Pierre's strident efforts to secure a refuge kindle uneasy reflections on the nature of city life and the stark contrast it bears to rural innocence.