He would like to be able to live, but he cannot live.

Why is life impossible for him? Why, for the one who would lead philosophy to life as a horse to water?

He is a dead man, Wttgenstein Jr says. A hollow man.

What he longs for above all other things: a certain cheerfulness. A cheerful companion.

A friend. That's what he is looking for. He wants someone with whom he can relax.

His friend. Wittgenstein Jr will meet him, he says, only on the other side of philosophy. There, on the other side - on the other bank of the river - his friend is waiting for him.