# Epigraph explained — An Outcast of the Islands

> Chapter companion for An Outcast of the Islands by Joseph Conrad.

## What happens

The chapter opens with a single epigraph from Calderón, suggesting that the greatest crime of man is to have been born, setting a tone of existential guilt and predetermined suffering.

## Themes in this chapter

### Illusion of Control and Fate

The epigraph introduces the idea that birth itself is a crime, implying a predetermined fate over which individuals have no control.

## Key lines

> Pues el delito mayor Del hombre es haber nacido.

For the greatest crime of man is to have been born.

_This line from Calderón sets the philosophical tone for the novel, suggesting an inherent guilt or tragedy in existence itself._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters