# Pride and Humiliation in Hunger

> Theme guide for Hunger by Knut Hamsun.

Despite his destitution, the protagonist clings to a fierce, often irrational pride, refusing charity or advances from editors, while simultaneously enduring profound shame and degradation over his condition.

## Where it surfaces

- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hunger_se/chapters/ii): The narrator's pride prevents him from begging for bread, yet he endures the humiliation of being laughed at by the pawnbroker.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hunger_se/chapters/iii): The narrator mocks his own past honesty, feels humiliated by his poverty, and contemplates stealing from a widow or schoolgirl, showing a loss of dignity.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hunger_se/themes/pride_and_humiliation
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hunger_se/themes