How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
My wife is unhappy. She is one of those married women who are very, very bored and lonely, and I don't know what I can make myself do about it (except get a divorce, and make her unhappier still). (3.1)
Like many housewives, Slocum's wife is miserable. All she does is shop, clean, and cook. To spice things up a bit, she has been drinking a bit—okay, maybe more than a bit—during the day, according to Slocum. But this is something that is to be expected of unhappy housewives like Mrs. Slocum.
Quote #5
I meet many young girls I like an awful lot for a while and feel I could love loyally for the rest of my life if I didn't know beforehand that I would grow bored so quickly. (3.66)
Slocum is not just bored with his wife; she was young once, too, and at one point, he wasn't bored with her. It's just in Slocum's character to become bored with all women. The pattern of being unfulfilled just perpetuates.
Quote #6
…and I try my best to remember on what terms she and I parted this morning, or went to sleep last night, in order to know if she is still angry with me for something I did or didn't say or do that I am no longer even aware of. (3.73)
Slocum thinks that it doesn't matter much if he and his wife part on either good or bad terms, because she has probably forgotten, too. Upon Slocum's return home, even she is trying to remember if they are friends tonight or not.