The Confidence-Man Chapter 28 Summary

Moot Points Touching the Late Colonel John Moredock

  • Not cool.
  • At least that's the cosmopolitan's response to the new guy's assertion at the end of the last chapter. Don't judge him, dude, he says. You don't know him. He's got a hard shell, but a heart of gold.
  • The new guy is glad to hear it.
  • On to more important things: the cosmopolitan thinks the story of Colonel Moredock is a tall tale. How could a guy with so much hate love the rest of humanity? That's just not sound reasoning, bro.
  • The cosmopolitan also makes a case for misanthropy being akin to atheism: one denies kindness in humans just like the other denies love as something ordering the world.
  • The two men bond over not having a frame of reference for determining what it means to be a misanthrope. They both just love humanity oh so much.
  • The new guy wants to shake hands with the cosmopolitan because they're, like, so much alike.
  • The men shake hands.
  • The new guy says that now that they're besties, he and the cosmopolitan have to do what besties do best: drink together.
  • The cosmopolitan would love to do that, totally, yeah, but he can't, because he already had too much while catching up with his other friends.
  • Hold the phone. New guy is totally jealous that the cosmopolitan has other friends. But he tries to shake it off and act cool.
  • You can have a little wine, the new guy says. Just a little.
  • New guy is such an enabler.
  • The cosmopolitan gets up and caves. He's so down.