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Estelle Rigault
The valet is a deferential staff worker in hell who never blinks. He shows Garcin, Inez, and Estelle to the drawing-room in which they’ll spend eternity together. He also answers their questions, telling Garcin that he sometimes visits his uncle, who is the “head valet” and lives on the “third floor.” When Garcin asks about the specifics of hell, the valet chastises him for believing the “cock-and-bull stories” that circulate on earth. In addition, he informs Garcin that he can ring the bell if he needs assistance, though he adds that the bell itself rarely works.
The Valet Quotes in No Exit
The No Exit quotes below are all either spoken by The Valet or refer to The Valet. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
No Exit
Quotes
GARCIN [enters, accompanied by the ROOM-VALET, and glances around him]: Hm! So here we are?
VALET: Yes, Mr. Garcin.
GARCIN: And this is what it looks like?
VALET: Yes.
GARCIN: Second Empire furniture, I observe. . . . Well, well, I dare say one gets used to it in time.
VALET: Some do. Some don’t.
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I won’t make a scene, I shan’t be sorry for myself. I’ll face the situation, as I said just now. Face it fairly and squarely. I won’t have it springing at me from behind, before I’ve time to size it up. And you call that being “romantic”! . . . So it comes to this; one doesn’t need rest. Why bother about sleep if one isn’t sleepy? That stands to reason, doesn’t it? Wait a minute, there’s a snag somewhere; something disagreeable. Why, now, should it be disagreeable? . . . Ah, I see; it’s life without a break.
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So that’s the idea. I’m to live without eyelids. Don’t act the fool, you know what I mean. No eyelids, no sleep; it follows, doesn’t it? I shall never sleep again. But then—how shall I endure my own company? Try to understand. You see. I’m fond of teasing, it’s a second nature with me—and I’m used to teasing myself. Plaguing myself, if you prefer; I don’t tease nicely. But I can’t go on doing that without a break.
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The Valet Quotes in No Exit
The No Exit quotes below are all either spoken by The Valet or refer to The Valet. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
No Exit
Quotes
GARCIN [enters, accompanied by the ROOM-VALET, and glances around him]: Hm! So here we are?
VALET: Yes, Mr. Garcin.
GARCIN: And this is what it looks like?
VALET: Yes.
GARCIN: Second Empire furniture, I observe. . . . Well, well, I dare say one gets used to it in time.
VALET: Some do. Some don’t.
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I won’t make a scene, I shan’t be sorry for myself. I’ll face the situation, as I said just now. Face it fairly and squarely. I won’t have it springing at me from behind, before I’ve time to size it up. And you call that being “romantic”! . . . So it comes to this; one doesn’t need rest. Why bother about sleep if one isn’t sleepy? That stands to reason, doesn’t it? Wait a minute, there’s a snag somewhere; something disagreeable. Why, now, should it be disagreeable? . . . Ah, I see; it’s life without a break.
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So that’s the idea. I’m to live without eyelids. Don’t act the fool, you know what I mean. No eyelids, no sleep; it follows, doesn’t it? I shall never sleep again. But then—how shall I endure my own company? Try to understand. You see. I’m fond of teasing, it’s a second nature with me—and I’m used to teasing myself. Plaguing myself, if you prefer; I don’t tease nicely. But I can’t go on doing that without a break.
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