# II explained — Nightmare Abbey > Chapter companion for Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock. ## What happens After his disappointment in love, Scythrop Glowry is left alone at Nightmare Abbey while his father attends to a lawsuit. He retreats into romantic and transcendental philosophy, devising plans to reform the world through secret societies and illuminati. He writes a treatise that sells only seven copies, but takes this as a good omen. Using his mechanical ingenuity, he constructs secret passages and hidden chambers in his tower, preparing for his imagined role as a leader of human regeneration. ## Themes in this chapter ### Melancholy and Misanthropy Scythrop's retreat into solitude and his gloomy, misanthropic worldview are central to the chapter, as he shuns society and immerses himself in dark fantasies. ### Self-Deception and Delusion Scythrop's grandiose plans to reform the world and his interpretation of the seven sold copies as a mystical omen highlight his self-deception and detachment from reality. ### The Futility of Human Endeavor Despite his elaborate schemes and treatise, Scythrop's efforts yield no tangible result, underscoring the futility of his ambitions. ## Character check-ins ### Scythrop Glowry Left alone at Nightmare Abbey after his father's departure, Scythrop immerses himself in romantic and metaphysical studies, devises plans for world reform, writes a poorly-selling treatise, and constructs secret passages in his tower. ### Mr. Glowry Departs for London to attend to a lawsuit, leaving Scythrop alone at the Abbey. ### Mr. Flosky Recommended transcendental philosophy to Scythrop, influencing his intellectual pursuits. ## Key lines > He began to devour romances and German tragedies, and, by the recommendation of Mr. Flosky, to pore over ponderous tomes of transcendental philosophy, which reconciled him to the labour of studying them by their mystical jargon and necromantic imagery. He started reading romantic novels and German plays, and on Mr. Flosky's advice, he studied dense books of transcendental philosophy, whose obscure language and magical themes made the effort worthwhile. _Highlights Scythrop's turn to romantic and metaphysical literature after his disappointment._ > He now became troubled with the passion for reforming the world. He became obsessed with the idea of changing society for the better. _Introduces Scythrop's central delusion of being a world reformer._ > Seven copies, he thought, have been sold. Seven is a mystical number, and the omen is good. He considered the sale of seven copies a positive sign because seven is a mystical number. _Shows Scythrop's tendency to find meaning in trivial events, reinforcing his self-deception._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters/ii - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nightmare_abbey_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nightmare_abbey_se/chapters