--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But tonight, because Rome had fallen and…" description: "\"But tonight, because Rome had fallen and Felix was dead, because of Valerius’s shame, the empty hut seemed horribly lonely, and there was a small achin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/rosemary-sutcliff-19223_coming-home_but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and_729037.png" --- # But tonight, because Rome had fallen and Felix was dead… ![“But tonight, because Rome had fallen and Felix was dead, because of Valerius’s shame, the empty hut seemed horribly lonely, and there was a small aching need in him for somebody to notice, even if they were not glad, that he had come home.” quote by Rosemary Sutcliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/rosemary-sutcliff-19223_coming-home_but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and_729037.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/rosemary-sutcliff-19223_coming-home_but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and_729037.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/rosemary-sutcliff-19223_coming-home_but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and_729037.png) > “But tonight, because Rome had fallen and Felix was dead, because of Valerius’s shame, the empty hut seemed horribly lonely, and there was a small aching need in him for somebody to notice, even if they were not glad, that he had come home.” [Rosemary Sutcliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-sutcliff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lonely soldier feels a deep need for acknowledgment after loss and shame. **In simple terms:** Loneliness drives a craving for recognition. Key Takeaway Seek connection in times of isolation. Themes loneliness shame recognition war Mood melancholic reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - military life - family reunions - mental health support Key Concepts psychological need human connection Questions to Reflect On - What does acknowledgment truly provide? - Can solitude be transformed into strength? A Different Perspective Recognition may not heal underlying trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rome/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) ## Related quotes > [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor; This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/these-cardinals-trifle-with-me-i-abhor-this-dilatory-sloth-and-tricks/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome wasn't built in a day, and the internet is our new Rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/rome-wasn-t-built-in-a-day-and-the-internet-is-our-new-rome/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“...she had a new handbag to go with her new attitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-marsi/she-had-a-new-handbag-to-go-with-her-new-attitude/) Cara Marsi > [“The knuckles of his hand that had Shaw's name inked across them caught my eye. 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Did you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/what-was-bruce-lee-like-how-did-you-meet-what-was-it-like-to/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) ## More by Rosemary Sutcliff > [“Always, in these times, I am wretched save when sleep comes to me. Therefore, I have come to look upon sleep as the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-sutcliff/always-in-these-times-i-am-wretched-save-when-sleep-comes-to-me/) [Rosemary Sutcliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-sutcliff/) > [“See now, for a good blade, one that will not betray the man in battle, rods of hard and soft iron must be heated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-sutcliff/see-now-for-a-good-blade-one-that-will-not-betray-the-man-in-battle/) [Rosemary Sutcliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-sutcliff/) > [“So Aquila took his father’s service upon him. 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You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [To be polite to everybody except the people they love most is a nervous affectation that afflicts many families ... when they come home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fishback/to-be-polite-to-everybody-except-the-people-they-love-most-is-a/) Margaret Fishback > [This is my idea of heaven, coming home and watching the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/this-is-my-idea-of-heaven-coming-home-and-watching-the-news/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [“And when I look into his eyes there’s a feeling of something I can only describe as familiarity, a sense of safety. 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We kiss for so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katia-rose/i-let-it-all-out-the-joy-and-the-pain-the-waiting-and-the-wanting-the/) Katia Rose [Browse all 1,175 Coming home quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But tonight, because Rome had fallen and Felix was dead, because of Valerius’s shame, the empty hut seemed horribly lonely, and there was a small aching need in him for somebody to notice, even if they were not glad, that he had come home.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rosemary Sutcliff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-sutcliff/but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and-felix-was-dead-because-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coming home" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-sutcliff/but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and-felix-was-dead-because-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/rosemary-sutcliff-19223_coming-home_but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and_729037.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/rosemary-sutcliff-19223_coming-home_but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and_729037.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/rosemary-sutcliff-19223_coming-home_but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and_729037.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But tonight, because Rome had fallen and Felix was dead, because of Valerius’s shame, the empty hut seemed…” — Rosemary Sutcliff", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rosemary Sutcliff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-sutcliff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But tonight, because Rome had fallen...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-sutcliff/but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and-felix-was-dead-because-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-sutcliff/but-tonight-because-rome-had-fallen-and-felix-was-dead-because-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```