Conflict: The conflict in this short story is that the old man is staying in the cafe so late and the younger bartender feels as though his "valuable" time is being wasted taking care of this old man that he thinks is pretty much a waste of space and time.
.......The old man at the table on the terrace and the waiter who sympathizes with him are in conflict with life itself. If it ever had meaning for them, they have lost it. Life is now a burden, and they are just putting in time.