Joyce almost shouts at the reader how difficult it was, or rather is, for the men to return home from the war and reintegrate into normal life. In this case Gabriel wants to be alone and not waste time on unimportant chatter. He has desires that he is unable to express due to his embarrassment. When his wife admits that there was another man she loved before him, his world stops and he looks at her as if they had never met. He completely distances himself due to the lack of understanding of the people around him. This comments on the social changes made after the First World War, new lines were drawn on the map and an empire was brought down.