Him…..Adieu, Mister Philosopher, is it not true that I’m still the same as I was before?
ME – Alas! Yes it is, unfortunately.
HIM – Let’s hope I only have that misfortune for another forty years or so. He who laughs last laughs longest.
This is one of the few places in the book where the two actually come to agreement. Through much of the work, it was hard to tell what Diderot’s position was because whenever one character made a point that called an aspect of our lives into question, the other character would refute it. This passage, however, has finality.
This passage brings into question what good (if any) arguing these points actually does in the long run. One cannot change others to make them believe anything besides what they already believe.