The development of the narrator and Marcel's relationship begins as simply a customer and waiter. The only topic of conversation brought about is coffee refills. As the pot thickens, Marcel becomes interested in the narrator's work as an author and find himself chatting with him about the characters in his anecdotes often. After telling the story of a woman he saw on the street whom he named Maude, a character who is lonely and going to see an old friend, the narrator becomes engrossed in finishing it. So much that Marcel encourages him to have more social interaction in his life, but the narrator does not listen and does not come upon the realization that Marcel is leaving for another job until he has already left. These details prove
