But was it love? The feeling of wanting to die beside her was clearly exaggerated: he had seen her only once before in his life! Was it simply the hysteria of a man, who, aware deep down of his inaptitude for love, felt the self-deluding need to simulate it?
The protagonist grapples with the intensity of his feelings for a woman he barely knows, questioning whether these emotions can genuinely be classified as love. His yearning to be with her, even to the point of contemplating death, seems disproportionate given their limited connection. This raises doubts about the authenticity of his emotions.
The narrative suggests that the man's passion may stem from a deep-seated insecurity regarding his capacity for love. It implies that in his desperation, he might be fabricating a sense of love to mask his own emotional inadequacies, illustrating the complex interplay between desire and self-deception.