She possessed intelligence and didn't put it to use but, rather, wasted it, like a great lady for whom all the riches of the world are merely a sign of vulgarity. That was the fact that must have beguiled Nino: the gratuitousness of Lila's intelligence.

Elena Ferrante
About This Quote

Nino was deeply offended by the fact that Lila had wasted her intelligence. She was no longer an innocent girl like she once was, but rather a woman with all the riches of the world. Nino felt that to be intelligent was to be successful, and that for Lila to be intelligent was to be vulgar. With this in mind, Nino began to feel that his own intelligence was wasted on him, because he could never live up to the standards that Lila set for herself.

Source: The Story Of The Lost Child

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