The Man Who Laughs Part II, Book the Ninth, Chapter II - The Dregs

In which Gwynplaine, having discovered the desolation wrought upon the fair-green and faced with the bitter estrangement from society and loved ones, contemplates the cruel ironies and deep despairs of his altered fate by the dark waters of the Thames. Amidst the ruins of hope and the burden of a mocking destiny, he finds himself at a precipice both literal and figurative, where the shadows of loss and isolation press heavily upon his soul.