Scene VII

When Inez tells the other two that they have obviously lied about their pasts, Garcin suggests that all three of them should tell the true story of why they were damned to Hell. In order to get Garcin to confess first, Inez cleverly accuses him of being a coward and deserter; he rises to the occasion and refutes her claims. He states that he has been sent to Hell because he had treated his wife poorly. He tells how he would go out on the town, night after night, to entertain himself with wine and women, leaving his wife behind. One night, he even brought home a young girl to sleep with him while his wife slept upstairs; the next morning his wife brought them both coffee. In spite of it all, his wife loved him dearly. He still sees her grieving over his death; she sits by the window holding his bloodstained coat. He calls her a martyr, who suffered in silence and without tears. Garcin then tries to justify his behavior. He says he hurt his wife because she made it so easy for him to do. She was weak and would not stand up to him. It is obvious that he does not regret his behavior. Inez calls him a brute.

Inez tricks Garcin into telling his story first by calling him a coward and deserter. He rises to the challenge and tells of his past. He admits he was cruel to his wife, going out on her night after night. He even brought home a woman to sleep with while his wife slept upstairs. In spite of it all, she loved Garcin and is still grieving over his death. Garcin believes he has been condemned to Hell because of how he treated his wife, but he seems to have no remorse for the treatment. In fact, he tries to justify his behavior by claiming that his wife was so weak she brought Garcin's mistreatment on herself. After he completes his story, Inez, always the realist, calls Garcin a brute.

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