- From prison, Humbert muses over diary entries from 1947, his early encounters with Dolores (a.k.a. Lolita). Though the diary itself was destroyed, he vividly remembers what he recorded in it.
- Some of his recollections include detailed descriptions of what Dolores wore one day as she removed clothes from the clothesline – her skin, her ankle-bone – he doesn't miss a thing.
- Memories of her walk and slangy speech still thrill him. He knows it is risky to record these illicit feelings in his journal, but he just can't help it! (Restraint is not his strong suit.)
- Erotic images of Dolores are often ruined by the presence of Charlotte – "mother Haze," he snidely dubs her – whom Humbert accepts as the high cost of being near the nymphet. The contrast between mother and daughter is almost too much to bear. He has fantasies about killing "mother Haze."