And under this carnival disguise the heart of an old youngster who is still waiting to give his all. But how to be recognized under this mask? This is what they call a fine career.

The speaker presents “career” as a kind of masquerade: public success requires a costume that conceals the vulnerable, still-youthful self (“an old youngster”) who longs to give everything wholeheartedly. The “carnival disguise” suggests performance, role-playing, and social expectations; recognition becomes difficult because authenticity is hidden behind the mask demanded by ambition or reputation. The final line is bitterly ironic—what society praises as “a fine career” may actually be a life of self-concealment, where the deepest impulses toward generosity, love, or artistic sincerity struggle to be seen. The quote captures Anouilh’s recurring tension between inner integrity and the compromises of public life.