Bondage, Really?

I'm starting to really enjoy Of Human Bondage (see link below). There is some fine writing, and I continue to be amused by the character and his occasional witticisms. There have also been some thoughtful conversations transcribed that I feel I benefitted from as much as the characters must have. I love this wrenching description of a party scene; it feels so relevant.

They danced furiously. They danced round the room, slowly, talking very little, with all their attention given to the dance. . . . The air was heavy with the musty smell of humanity. But they danced furiously as though impelled by some strange power within them, and it seemed to Philip that they were driven forward by a rage for enjoyment. They were seeking desperately to escape from a world of horror. The desire for pleasure which Cronshaw said was the only motive of human action urged them blindly on, and the very vehemence of the desire seemed to rob it of all pleasure. (293)

I've just gotten to where Philip (and the reader) are introduced to Mildred. I had to chuckle at the wry humor of Maugham when, after Philip secures a date with the frustrating Mildred, we read "Philip was vaguely irritated" (338). Hilarious.