Student finances were so tight that the university accommodation choice for the typical undergraduate student boiled down to:

1. A very expensive traditional room in hall
2. A ‘blow-up bedroom’ – effectively a blow-up mattress inside a tiny tent
3. ‘Suitcase sleeping’ – officially two students per suitcase, although many tried to cram in more as a money-saving tactic

I expected TPR to go for option 1, but I couldn’t find him anywhere in hall. I later learnt that he had moved in with his Uncle Ray and had no desire ever to see me again.