The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge ends with a discussion of the biblical story of the prodigal son. In the story, a young man leaves his family to seek out his fame and fortune. After spending all his money and failing to find happiness, the prodigal son returns and is welcomed back into the family with open arms. Brigge sees his own struggles in this story. He has spent a long time searching for meaning in his life and attempted to satisfy this yearning through his writing, but his writing was ultimately unsuccessful and did not provide him the answers he sought. Instead, Brigge became more immersed in poverty and in his own anxious meditations on death.

While traditional interpretations of the story praise the family for welcoming the son back, Brigge shifts the focus to the son’s ability to allow himself to be welcomed. To Brigge, someone’s ability to allow themselves to be loved is more valuable than their ability to love another person. The act of being loved is a gift to another person, allowing them to express their emotions. The prodigal son had to overcome his sense of failure to receive his family’s love. He does not see himself as a person worthy of their love, but eventually, he sacrifices his idea of himself so that they can love him.