Less Is Lost

Arthur drives alone through the South. The Last Word Theatre Troupe is touring the South with a performance of one of Arthur’s short stories. The troupe leader, Dorothy, invites Arthur to meet them in Louisiana, where the troupe is based. Arthur passes through Texas. In Louisiana, people start noticing that he looks and speaks differently than them, asking if he’s from Europe. Arthur intuits that questions about where he's from or how he speaks is a subconscious way of wondering if Arthur is gay. Arthur shaves his face to a handlebar moustache and buys clothes that he believes make him blend with the rural culture so no one will suspect he’s gay or from somewhere else.

Arthur needs to read several books for the Prize committee, but he can’t get into any of them, nor is he writing his own work. He’s been carefully observing the world around him.

When he reaches Louisiana, Dorothy is thrilled that he’s in a van because the troupe needs help transporting their set. She introduces him to her husband Vlad and the rest of the troupe: mostly women, one man. Thomas, an actor, asks Arthur what it was like growing up gay in Delaware and feeling that he wasn’t meant to be loved.