844. We come across another type of sexual degeneration in the prostitutes' "customers". Who are these people and why are they the "customers" of prostitution? In the first place they usually consist of so-called "normal" married men who have passed through the "honeymoon" of their marriage. If they had not passed through the "honeymoon" they would have no urge to seek prostitution. The fact that they are no longer in the "honeymoon period" and must seek prostitution points to the fact that they are already "abnormal" according to the sixth* commandment, the church or the traditional dogmas, the fulfilment of which is established as "normality". They are unable to find enough sexual fulfilment or satisfaction in authorised marriage. That they visit female prostitutes in preference to other women is, of course, for practical reasons. This method is easier to keep secret, as the connection, from the prostitute's point of view, is exclusively a business matter. In such a connection there is no clinging "falling in love", which would be awkward for the "customer's" marriage. Once intercourse is over and done with and the woman has received her payment, there is no further inconvenient bond between the "customer" and her. She has no further claim on him unless she has criminal tendencies and tries to exploit the situation by blackmailing him. But such cases arise among only a small percentage of female prostitutes and would from a business point of view be rather unwise.
      Among the "customers" of female prostitutes there are of course unmarried men of different sexual types and various ages, quite young men as well as those who are more mature. It is the case for all of them that their talents for marriage are already rapidly degenerating. They are all to a greater or lesser extent beings whose erotic urge is much too strong in relation to their ability to fall in love. Such beings, despite being in love or engaged to be married, will feel the need for sexual satisfaction with women other than their fiancée. Since a perfect marriage is based exclusively on the fact that the ability to be in love totally dominates the eroticism of both marriage partners with the result that there is no particular urge to seek sexual release with anyone other than the marriage partner, it becomes clear that the aforementioned "customers" of prostitution have no great talent for being "faithful" in marriage. And it is precisely this unequal ratio between the beings' erotic urge and their ability to be in love that is the cause of all the marital unhappiness which, to such a great degree, dominates modern civilisation.
 
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* Translator's note: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is referred to as the sixth commandment in Danish Bibles and is commonly referred to as the seventh in English Bibles.