# XV explained — Krakatit

> Chapter companion for Krakatit by Karel Čapek.

## What happens

Prokop returns to Prague and searches for George Thomas, first at his old address, then through police records and the courts. He eventually gains access to Thomas's abandoned flat, where he discovers a pile of correspondence revealing Thomas's fraudulent business dealings and sordid personal affairs. Among the letters, Prokop finds four signed 'M.' that reveal the passionate and desperate love of a woman who is apparently the sister of the veiled lady he seeks. Overwhelmed by the squalor and corruption, Prokop burns the commercial letters but hesitates over the private ones, feeling shame and disgust. His determination to find the veiled lady intensifies as he realizes the depths of Thomas's depravity.

## Themes in this chapter

### Obsession and Madness

Prokop's relentless pursuit of Thomas and the veiled lady borders on obsession, driving him to invade Thomas's privacy and read his personal letters.

### Isolation and Alienation

Prokop's solitary investigation in Thomas's abandoned flat, surrounded by the remnants of a corrupt life, underscores his alienation from the world he is uncovering.

## Character check-ins

### Engineer Prokop

Prokop searches for Thomas in Prague, investigates his abandoned flat, and reads his correspondence, uncovering Thomas's fraudulent dealings and the desperate love letters from 'M.'

### George Thomas

Thomas is the elusive target of Prokop's search; his abandoned flat and correspondence reveal his fraudulent business practices and numerous romantic entanglements.

### Mr. Carson

Carson's advertisement in the newspaper prompts Prokop to leave a message for him, hoping he might know Thomas's whereabouts.

## Key lines

> Prokop was horrified; if it were all once found out what would not be the ramifications of this unutterable turpitude?

Prokop was appalled, imagining the far-reaching consequences if Thomas's corrupt activities were ever exposed.

_Highlights Prokop's moral shock at Thomas's fraudulent dealings._

> He took up all Thomas’s commercial correspondence and ran to burn it in the stove, which he found full of charred papers.

He gathered Thomas's business letters and rushed to burn them in the stove, which was already filled with burnt paper remnants.

_Shows Prokop's impulsive attempt to destroy evidence of Thomas's misdeeds._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/krakatit_se/chapters/xv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/krakatit_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/krakatit_se/chapters