What about the bet and the ideologies of the both, the banker's and the lawyer's? Did the lawyer accept that capital punishment is better than life imprisonment? Is that why he despise the money now because now he found the meaning of living?
I think what happened is that the opinions of both the lawyer(prisoner) and the banker(old man) changed completely. The lawyer used to argue that life in prison is better than death penalty, but now he believes that life and its blessings are "worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive." He also renounced the two million for which he put his freedom at stake years ago. The banker, who used to believe that life imprisonment was inhumane and even more immoral than death penalty now believes that it is a great deal better and more humane than death penalty. He saw the lawyer transform into a highly intellectual and spiritual person during the lawyer's solitary imprisonment. In the end, when the banker read the prisoner's note which censured humans for their avarice and wrong priorities, he felt so much respect for the prisoner that he "kissed the [prisoner] on the head" and "felt [a] great contempt for himself" because he was one of the people who were controlled by their avarice for the fleeting and deceptive matererialistic things of the world. He considered the prisoner and his priorities superior to the regular humans and understood that life, no matter in what circumstances, is better than no life. Life gives you a chance to grow and transform yourself, while death puts a stop to your story. I think the other way to look at this is that as time passed, both men became a little unsure about their opinions. That's because the were naive and unexperienced when they made the bet, and hence had very strong opinions. Later, with experience, they learned that reality was a mix of both of their opinions.
I don't have to listen to this. I've read it years ago. This is lockdown with steroids. I was thinking about this story all year. In a room for twenty years! A few months was enough for me.
Did the lawyer escaped? Or did he died? Is the unmoving strange man the lawyer or its just a substitute? Forgive me I dont understand english so much but I very much get the feelings and lesson of the story.
Michaela Dimaluwag He is alive and escaped. The banker went to kill the lawyer because he was going to go bankrupt from bad investments and frivolous spending of money. Indeed, realizing that the fifteen years is almost up, the bankers plan was to murder the attorney and frame the guard. However, the guard is gone and when the banker sneaks up on the lawyer, he finds him sound asleep. Just as he is about to kill the him, the banker finds a note that explains that through his reading of books during time in isolation, the lawyer has come to completely reject the material world he once loved. It turns out he's planning on forfeiting the bet on purpose by leaving five hours early. The banker kisses the lawyer's head, cries, and leaves. The next day, the guards report that the lawyer bailed early. The banker takes the letter and puts it into his safety box.
Lawyer escaped . This story is about the divine connection with the power above all in the sky. When he read New Testaments he realised how materialistic world is all about...knowing your own soul and serving the humanity is soul purpose of ones life. Greed for money or knowledge makes you egostic and conceited. But once you understand that all worldly knowledge and wealth will remain in this world when your heart will arrest pumping blood , lungs will stop breathing and u die leaving everything behind....so why to race all life for this materialism and when you will realise this you will achieve Higher Wisdom of living in solitude with God. You become generous and selfless divine person to the Humanity.
