# Three Highwaymen explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A street contractor is robbed of his purse by two highwaymen, leaving him semi-dead on the pavement. He reports the crime to the Chief, who scolds him for complaining about losing only six bits.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The Chief's dismissive attitude toward the victim highlights corruption and lack of justice.

### Political Satire

The absurdity of the police response mocks institutional authority.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator describes the robbery and the contractor's encounter with the Chief.

### The Judge

The Chief, a sententious man, dismisses the contractor's complaint with sarcasm.

## Key lines

> Two robbers robbed him of his purse, Left him uncomfortably spread On his own pavement, semi-dead

Two thieves stole his money and left him injured on the street.

_Describes the physical and financial assault._

> Why, damn your avaricious soul! The Chief said: do you claim the whole? You did quite well to get, begad, Within six bits of all they had!

The Chief scolds the victim for complaining about losing only a small amount of money.

_Highlights the Chief's cynical and corrupt attitude._

## Links

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