Chapter V - Overall Analysis

In this chapter, we endeavor further into the lives of Henry Foster, Lenina Crowne, and Bernard Marx and how different their lives are compared to one another.

Henry and Lenina live the perfect life in society. They enjoy the Obstacle Golf and other activities supported by 'the Ford' and enjoy consumption of soma to make their time together that more enjoyable.
Bernard, however, has to go to a Solidarity Service in order to meet and greet other people whom are having trouble connecting with 'the Ford' and finding company for each night.

Who is more happy though?

Henry and Lenina live in a soma-holiday like trance whenever they spend nights together, so are their happiness a delusion or do they take such drugs in order to obtain a higher level of pleasure?
Bernard is unable to spend nights with women but has Helmholtz as a friend. He refuses to take soma and is, for some reason, unable to connect with 'the Ford' as he is distracted by a woman's unibrow. He is living in reality - although it is a grim picture he paints, is it better to live in reality even if it isn't all that it is hyped up to be ? Or is it better to live night to night with consumption of soma, which we find out slowly kills with higher doses?
Which is true happiness - living in 'denial' or living in reality?

One of my favourite parts in this chapter is the fact that Henry does not seem as an emotionless, statistic-loving bore, even if it's for a split second. He discusses with Lenina that the conditioning has made them love themselves and not be jealous of others which Lenina finds a tad hard to understand. It's interesting that everyone knows they are being conditioned, and yet they do not fear it (except when Lenina wakes up during 'sleep-teaching' and finds herself terrified of the whispering that 'haunted all her dreams').
What I loved though is the fact that Henry became melancholy when he pondered about death as they past the Crematorium, "It would have been curious to know who it was - a man or woman, an Alpha or an Epsilon..." (V, 65) which makes me think that not all of the society is emotionless and can completely conditioned to be so. Henry had a simple thought about life and death, which many of us ponder in life, and it is so amazing because in their society it is rare to find someone conditioned thoroughly like himself to think about emotionally stimulating ideas.

Even if it were for a second, I found it most intriguing.

Chapter V - Summary

Henry and Lenina are leaving the Clubhouse due to it closing. They jump into their helicopter and start flying towards Henry's place.
We learn more about where the ranks live. The lower ranked people go on monorails, while the higher ranks get helicopters and planes. We learn that there are thousands of cows that are used for hormones and milk to help a factory called the Farnham Royal.

Henry and Lenina are flying when Lenina asks about some smoke-stacks. Apparently they have balconies that help make plants grow even after people are dead. Lenina comments that Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons would not be able to make plants grow. Henry makes a comment that everyone in society performs indispensable services.

Lenina is about to say something probably harsh about an Epsilon not being useful when she suddenly remembers waking up in the middle of the night as a child and hearing the whispering that 'haunted all her dreams' about how 'everyone works for everyone' and that 'even Epsilons are useful'.
She then supposes that even Epsilons do not mind being Epsilons.
Henry agrees by saying that they don't because they're conditioned to be like that, just as an Epsilon is thankful they are not a Beta or Alpha.

They landed on Henry's apartment and go down to the dining area to enjoy soma and coffee. Soon they head to a club where there is the 'Sixteen Sexophonists' and 'London's Finest Scent and Colour Organ'. The organ creates a scene of sunrise and thunder/darkness for climatic explosion for the song.
Lenina and Henry are both in a world of soma-holiday and do not even care where they are.

They return to Henry's apartment afterwards to enjoy their night together but not before Lenina uses her contraceptive precautions and takes more soma.

PART 2
Bernard heads to the Solidarity Service after having dinner with Hemholtz at what seems to be a fancy restaurant. He hails a taxi and is almost late to the meeting. He quickly takes a seat and finds himself beside a woman with an uni brow, Morgana, and instantly wishes he had sat between two plump women instead, as he has a better chance with them and they are slightly pneumatic.

The Solidarity Service is when twelve people come together and chant solidarity hymns while taking drink of soma. They have music going on in the background as they chant and start dancing when they hear 'the Greater Being'. They begin to come together in 'orgy-porgy' and sexual acts together.

Bernard was not able to hear the 'Greater Being' and feels dissatisfied and even more alone that he was not able to fuse with the Greater Being and not even in Morgana's embrace.