How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #10
"[Michaelis] has divided his biography into three parts, entitled "Faith, Hope, Charity". He is elaborating now the idea of a world planned out like an immense and nice hospital, with gardens and flowers, in which the strong are to devote themselves to the nursing of the weak." (13.5)
The Professor tells Ossipon about a visit he made to Michaelis out in the country (which doesnt fit with his character at all, and is never really explained by the book, FYI). The Professor lays down some of the same smack talk about Michaelis as the narrator does, saying that the idealistic Michaelis cant think "consecutively," and insisting that there's no logical order to the dude's thoughts. The Professor is only concerned about ideas and actions that can actually change the world. Here, Conrad draws a parallel between Michaelis and Stevie, the two most obviously compassionate people in the book. In both cases, their compassion just looks silly and naïve, and in this sense, Conrad might really be suggesting that their humanitarian ideals cant really lead to any substantial change in a world full of maniacs and jerks.