Themes
I have had playmates, I have had companions, In my days of childhood, in my joyful school-days. All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
— Charles Lamb · Old Familiar Faces
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Childhood companionship is recalled through repeated statements of having had people nearby. The turn to all are gone replaces that abundance with absence. Repeating all makes the loss feel complete, while familiar faces keeps the remembered people personal rather than reducing them to a distant period.
Context reviewed