# LXXVI explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A single aphoristic statement contrasts the moral hypocrisy of business and gambling, suggesting that business, itself a form of gambling, condemns gambling as immoral.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The chapter highlights the hypocrisy of business, which condemns gambling while itself being a form of gambling.

## Key lines

> The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling.

Business, which is a form of gambling, hypocritically condemns gambling as immoral.

_The aphorism exposes the double standard and self-deception inherent in the business world._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/lxxvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters