THE BET

On an autumn night, reflecting back fifteen years, a banker recalls a party where capital punishment was debated. The consensus among the guests, mainly intellectuals and journalists, was a disapproval of the death penalty, preferring life imprisonment as more humane. The banker disagreed, arguing that immediate death was more merciful. A young lawyer then expressed his preference for life in prison over execution. This ignited a fervent debate leading the banker to impulsively bet two million that the lawyer couldn’t endure five years of solitary confinement. The lawyer countered, opting for fifteen years instead, and thus, a grave, irrational agreement was forged.

The terms stipulated that the lawyer would be isolated in a lodge in the banker’s garden without any human contact but could have books, music, and a window to receive necessities. His confinement began on November 14, 1870. Initially, the lawyer struggled with loneliness and immersed himself in light literature and music. As years passed, his focus shifted to classical literature, philosophy, and languages, displaying a profound change in his interests and mental endurance. By the tenth year, his attention turned to religious studies, and in the final years, his readings were varied and seemingly erratic, hinting at a restless search for knowledge or escape.

On the eve of the lawyer’s release, the banker, now financially depleted and regretting his past bravado, contemplates killing the lawyer to avoid paying the wager. In the dead of night, he stealthily enters the lodge to find the lawyer a gaunt, aged figure, unresponsive to his presence. Upon reading a letter left by the lawyer, the banker discovers that he renounces the material and worldly life he had been denied, declaring the profound insights gained from his readings have led him to despise what he once longed for. In an overwhelming mixture of relief and despair, the banker realizes the futility of their bet and the life-altering consequences of their actions, highlighting the irrationality of human pride and the unpredictable nature of human resilience and perception.