While most of Henry’s commentary on his condition speaks to the darker aspects of his life, this portion of the prologue reveals the things that are most important to Henry: peace, literature, the comforts of his home, and his love for his wife. These are the things he has chosen to devote his time to when he has the power to do so in the present. Being routinely torn from them increases his longing for them, just as Henry’s absence intensifies Clare’s love for him.