Similarly, and in keeping with the tradition of the history of mentalities, Darnton devotes a chapter to an analysis of a bourgeoisie's description of his city, in an effort to determine how an individual in a given social situation would interpret and make sense of the world around them. Darnton uses this description to demonstrate that the ways in which events might be portrayed might be completely unsupported by the ways in which individuals of the time might have interpreted those events.
Similarly, as part of an exploration into the history of thought patterns, Darnton dedicates a chapter to analyzing a bourgeois's account of his city, aiming to understand how someone within that social class would perceive and make sense of their environment. He uses this description to demonstrate that the way events are portrayed might not align with how individuals at the time actually interpreted them.