* Nostalgia and Regret: The story is told from the perspective of an older man reminiscing about his youth, and the tone is often wistful and regretful. He feels the weight of missed opportunities and lost love.
* Melancholy and Detachment: The narrator's tone is often melancholic, reflecting a sense of sadness and detachment from the present. He feels alienated from the world around him and struggles to connect with others.
* Passion and Longing: There are moments of intense passion and longing as the narrator recalls his love for the woman he lost. This passion is intertwined with regret and a sense of unfulfilled desires.
* Bitterness and Frustration: The narrator expresses bitterness towards the woman he loved and his own past actions, particularly his inability to commit to a relationship. He is frustrated by the way life has unfolded and his inability to change the course of his past.
* Acceptance and Reconciliation: As the story progresses, there is a sense of acceptance and reconciliation with the past. The narrator acknowledges his mistakes and the consequences of his actions, and he comes to terms with the inevitability of time passing and the impossibility of reliving the past.
It's important to note that the mood of "Footnote to Youth" is not static. The story shifts between these different emotional states, reflecting the narrator's complex and nuanced feelings about his past.