The narrator tells us that he has been living in poverty since he was a child but now he enjoys a life of "revelations" . He asks for his boyfriend, who is very nice but cannot give him the "comfortable" life he wants. He tells the narrator that tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so he should give him a gift instead of going home. The narrator says that he's had enough of the life of the basement. He says that his boyfriend has chosen to be a painter, but his income isn't enough to live on. He also says that the basement is a "dweller like a mouse" living in it. .