- Once again, we are thrust back in time; this time to 1932, where we see a sharply dressed and sharply mustached man.
- It's immediately apparent that Gustave is very proper, and orderly, and in charge of the hotel staff. He bosses them around without mincing words so that everything is set up perfectly.
- An old lady enters. She's nervous about leaving the hotel and thinks it may be the last time she sees Gustave. She's quite fond of him.
- Maybe Gustave isn't that proper. His tone is formal and his tongue is fast, but he can be a bit vulgar.
- He recites a poem to her to try to calm her nerves as they (and two staffers) descend in an elevator.