Marcel, who at the end of Sodom and Gomorrah decides to marry Albertine, now takes her home and keeps her hidden from the eyes of the world. However, he soon realizes that this captivity gives way to a jealousy that makes him the true prisoner. Unlike Swann, Marcel recognizes the mechanisms of this jealousy, but he cannot free himself from it. Instead, desires for other women and for new travels awaken within him.