Hunger, Part 1 summary

What happens

1. The narrator leaves his bare attic hungry, remembering failed job applications and the occasional money his newspaper writing earns.
2. He pawns his waistcoat, gives a shilling to a lame shoe binder, and buys bread and cheese with the remainder.
3. After eating in the park, he plans a philosophical treatise but discovers his pencil remains in the pawned waistcoat.
4. On his return journey, he harasses two women, privately names one Ylajali, and exchanges a silent look with her at a window.
5. He retrieves his pencil and falsely tells the pawnbroker that it serves him in writing a three-volume philosophical work.
6. Back in the park, he blames God for his suffering, then takes comfort in finding six shaving tickets.

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