The last seat

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Walter arrived with the letter of recommendation folded inside his hat. The waiting room was crowded. He stood beside the stove until a clerk pointed to a narrow chair near the door. The other applicants discussed schools and acquaintances whose names he did not recognise. Their conversation formed a circle with no space left for him.

When the clerk called the first name, three men rose to shake the applicant’s hand. Walter unfolded his letter, then folded it again along the same worn lines. At last his own name was called. Nobody moved. He placed the hat beneath his arm and walked towards the office, suddenly grateful that he could leave the room before anybody noticed how little he had said.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to show Walter’s sense of exclusion. Support your answer with references to the passage.