Hollow at the core.

“It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core…” (Conrad 87).

This is yet another mention of the cast of Europeans venturing into Africa being hollow and empty. European cities such as Brussels are depicted as being “whited sepulchers” and Europeans, such as the brickmaker and Kurtz are shown as hollow and deceptive, as a “papier-mâché Mephistopheles.” This expresses Marlow’s dislike of the mission and trips into Africa and their hollow purposes.