Monday, 29 January, 1932
- Antoine talks a bit about trying to write an objective history about his subject, the Marquis de Rollebon. He notices, though, that strange things are happening to his mind. For starters, there's something going on with his hands. They're clumsy and their movements don't feel familiar to him anymore.
- He mentions another person in his life named the Self-Taught Man, who came to say good morning to him that day. We find out from a footnote that the STM's real name is Ogier P.
- As time passes, Antoine realizes that some kind of change is happening to him and the things around him, but he has a tough time describing it in words.
- As he wonders, he reminisces about travelling around the world on business with a guy named Mercier. During his travels, he snapped and decided that he was bored with travelling and bored with life in general, which led him back to Bouville, France.
- Antoine seems to think that the world is preparing him for some sort of huge transformation in his life. He would like to know whether the change will be good or bad before it's too late.