# LXXXVIII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

The chapter reflects on the nature of slights versus injuries, arguing that a slight is harder to forgive because it implies contempt and indifference, while an injury at least acknowledges the victim's importance. An anecdote about a traveler released without ransom by Sicilian brigands illustrates this point.

## Key lines

> A slight is less easily forgiven than an injury, because it implies something of contempt, indifference, an overlooking of our importance; whereas an injury presupposes some degree of consideration.

A perceived insult is harder to forgive than a direct harm, because the insult suggests disdain and disregard for one's worth, while a harm at least shows that the person was deemed significant enough to target.

_The narrator distinguishes between slights and injuries, emphasizing the psychological sting of being ignored or dismissed._

> “The blackguards!” said a traveler whom Sicilian brigands had released without ransom; “did they think me a person of no consequence?”

A traveler, freed by Sicilian bandits without being forced to pay a ransom, angrily exclaimed that the brigands must have considered him unimportant.

_The anecdote illustrates how being overlooked can be more offensive than being attacked._

## Links

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