How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used the translation by S. Gilbert found in No Exit and Three Other Plays, published by Vintage International in 1989.
Quote #1
GARCIN: 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. (27)
More importantly, it’s life without solitude. Never sleeping means one is never alone…
Quote #2
GARCIN: 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. (31)
This line is strikingly similar to Inez’s later claim that she is "like a live coal" kept alive "in other people’s hearts." Garcin, too, needs to torment other people to survive.