# V: The Great de Barral explained — Chance > Chapter companion for Chance by Joseph Conrad. ## What happens This chapter focuses on the release of de Barral from prison and his reunion with his daughter, Flora, who has since married Captain Anthony. The reunion is strained, as de Barral is bitter and suspicious, while Flora tries to convince him of the safety and refuge offered by her new husband and the ship. The chapter also shows Captain Anthony preparing the Ferndale for their arrival, creating a private space, and his own anxiety about meeting de Barral. ## Themes in this chapter ### Isolation and Loneliness De Barral's long imprisonment has isolated him, intensifying his bitterness and suspicion. Flora's attempts to reconnect are met with a wall of resentment, highlighting the emotional distance between them. ### Deception and Illusion Captain Anthony's plan to present a false front to de Barral, and Flora's need to maintain the illusion of a happy marriage, are central to the chapter's tension. The 'privacy within a privacy' on the ship symbolizes this deception. ### Family and Parental Failure De Barral's reaction to his daughter's marriage is possessive and resentful, reflecting his failure as a parent to support her happiness. Flora, in turn, feels guilt and remorse, as if she has betrayed him. ## Character check-ins ### de Barral Released from prison, he is bitter and suspicious of his daughter's marriage, feeling betrayed by the world and by Flora's choice. ### Flora de Barral She is anxious and remorseful during the reunion, trying to convince her father of the safety and generosity of her new husband, Captain Anthony. ### Captain Anthony He prepares the Ferndale for his wife and father-in-law, creating a private space, but is also anxious and fearful about meeting de Barral. ### Marlow He narrates the story, providing commentary on the characters' motivations and the nature of de Barral's imprisonment and release. ### Franklin The chief mate of the Ferndale, he observes Captain Anthony's unusual behavior with gloominess. ## Key lines > He went back into the shadow and sat down again. “I don’t mean to say that Flora de Barral was one of the sort that could live by love alone. In fact she had managed to live without. But still, in the distrust of herself and of others she looked for love, any kind of love, as women will. Marlow reflects that Flora, despite having lived without love, still sought it out of her deep distrust of herself and others, as women are wont to do. _This highlights Flora's vulnerability and her need for affection, which is a key part of her character._ > One comes out of prison in the same clothes one wore on the day of condemnation, no matter how long one has been put away there. Oh, they last! They last! But there is something which is preserved by prison life even better than one’s discarded clothing. It is the force, the vividness of one’s sentiments. Marlow observes that while a prisoner's clothes may last, what is truly preserved and intensified by prison life is the strength and vividness of one's feelings. _This explains de Barral's intense bitterness and resentment upon his release._ > “What has done for me was envy. Envy. There was a lot of them just bursting with it every time they looked my way. I was doing too well. So they went to the Public Prosecutor⁠—’ De Barral blames his downfall on the envy of others who, unable to bear his success, reported him to the authorities. _This reveals de Barral's self-justification and his belief that he was a victim of others' malice._ > “I say this because that man whom chance had thrown in Flora's way was both: lawless and proud. Whether he knew anything about it or not it does not matter. Very likely not. One may fling a glove in the face of nature and in the face of one's own moral endurance quite innocently, with a simplicity which wears the aspect of perfectly Satanic conceit. Marlow suggests that Captain Anthony, in his audacious generosity, was both lawless and proud, and that his actions, though perhaps innocent, were a transgression against nature and his own moral endurance. _This foreshadows potential consequences for Anthony's bold decision to marry Flora._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/chance_se/chapters/v-the-great-de-barral - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/chance_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/chance_se/chapters