The conflict in the poem is developed indirectly and the reader is left without any detailed knowledge of its actual nature. The narrative of the poem describes what appears to be a typical breakfast scene. The anonymous narrator describes a man drinking morning coffee and smoking a cigarette. After doing so, he puts on a hat and raincoat and leaves. He performs these acts in complete silence, something the narrator emphasizes in the lines:
Without any word to me
Without any look at me
This suggests that the scene is not one of strangers at a pension but rather of a lovers' or spousal quarrel, especially in light of the narrator crying after the man leaves. We do not know why the man refuses to speak or look at the narrator, as that is not explicitly stated in the poem. However, the lack of communication does suggest some form of conflict.
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