Thanks for this great series, which I’m enjoying so far. Love The Fall but never read Demons - your discussion is inspiring me to check it out sometime. You highlight “solace” in that passage from Clamence, but what jumped out at me instead was “worthy.” It’s not just that he’s chasing fleeting pleasures for solace in place of joy. He’s doing this because he doesn’t think anything better is attainable; even worse, while it may be attainable for others it’s not attainable for him because he’s fallen. Hence, his quest to drag others down to his level.