Quote 1
"What did he want to kill himself for?"
"How should I know."
"How did he do it?"
"He hung himself with a rope."
"Who cut him down?"
"His niece."
"Why did he do it?"
"For his soul." (9)
This is curious – the older waiter asserts that the old man tried to kill himself "for his soul." We wonder if he might somehow be trying to save his soul by dying, and thus escaping the crushing reality of mortal life.
Quote 2
"I wouldn't want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing."
"Not always. This old man is clean. He drinks without spilling. Even now, drunk. Look at him." (9)
Here, we see two contrasting views of age: the younger waiter sees old age as disgusting, while the older waiter appreciates and admires the old man's cleanliness and dignity, even at his advanced age.
Quote 3
"I wish he would go home. I never get to bed before three o'clock. What kind of hour is that to go to bed?"
"He stays up because he likes it."
"He's lonely. I'm not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me."
"He had a wife once too."
"A wife would be no good to him now."
"You can't tell. He might be better with a wife." (9)
This quote suggests that all good things must come to an end – it's a cliché, but hey, it's true. We learn that the old man, who now has nothing to live for except his lonely drinks in the café, once had a wife and a life of his own; however, in his old age, it's unclear as to whether or not companionship could possibly do him any good.
Quote 4
"You talk like an old man yourself. He can buy a bottle and drink at home."
"It's not the same."
"No, it is not," agreed the waiter with a wife. He did not wish to be unjust. He was only in a hurry. (13)
Why should it be any different to drink alone in a well-lit café, or to drink alone at home? Even the impatient waiter agrees that these are two different things – drinking at the café means something much more, though what exactly that is, we're uncertain.