The Idiot Part IV Chapter 4

In which a weary old general, caught between pride and nostalgia, recounts his implausible yet heartfelt memories as a child page at Napoleon’s court, revealing a mixture of grandeur and bitter disillusionment beneath his tales. The prince listens with a mingled sense of pity and amusement as the general’s troubled spirit unfolds, culminating in a moment of frail collapse that starkly contrasts with his once commanding presence.