How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I do not pay her: our need is mutual. (3.9)
Antoine has a casual sexual relationship with the owner of his favorite bar. Her name is Francoise, and like Antoine, she's more than happy to have sex with no strings attached. It just goes to show you, though, how alienated Antoine's relationships with other people are. For him, sex isn't an expression of love, but just a way of killing time. He's not exactly the romantic type.
Quote #2
She takes pleasure in it (she has to have a man a day and she has many more besides me) and thus I purge myself of a certain nostalgia the cause of which I know too well. (3.9)
Antoine knows the score. He's not the only male lover whom Francoise has, and he doesn't seem to care. When he says that sex helps him to "purge" him of a certain "nostalgia," he is probably talking about his memories of being with Anny, whom he truly loves. Without Anny in his life, the most human contact Antoine can hope for is meaningless sex.
Quote #3
He can't make love any more? But he has made love in the past. Having made love is much better than still making it. (16.95)
For Antoine, the memory of having sex is always better than the act of having sex. When you remember sex, you can look at it through rose-tinted glasses. Or in other words, you remember it as if it was happening in a movie. When you're actually having it, though, it might not be all that great. It might even be—gasp—boring.