How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #4
'Now I know I need nobody – except Phuong. But that's a thing one learns with time. I could go a year without one restless night if she wasn't there.' (2.2.3.147)
Companionship: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems. At least if you're Fowler.
Quote #5
'I've reached the age when sex isn't the problem so much as old age and death. I wake up with these in mind and not a woman's body. I just don't want to be alone in my last decade, that's all. I wouldn't know what to think about all day long.' (2.2.3.188)
Fowler wants to be isolated from involvement, and yet his isolation cannot be complete. He's involved in Phuong's life, helping to direct its course, whether he would admit it or not.