Selfindulgence

A well ordered Conversation is in Reality, and upon the whole, the highest possible Selfindulgence.

Towards the end, the earnest nature of the quest led some, like Charles Borde, to open parody of ascensional eroticism, while still others, like Greuze, transformed it into a mawkish disguise for selfindulgence in which all sense of equilibrium between inner and outer was lost.

We should firmly oppose going through the motions, excessive bureaucracy, selfindulgence, and extravagance, resolutely combat corruption and other misconduct, preserve Communists’ political integrity, and dedicate ourselves to the cause of the Party and the people.

Like the waltzer, the narrator in “A Telephone Call” is her own worst enemy. Suffering from too much time on her hands—she is evidently not occupied with a job or responsibility for anyone but herself—she can afford the selfindulgence to spend hours focused exclusively on the dubious prospect of a phone call.