# VII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

The chapter reflects on the nature of piety, comparing it to small-pox in its contagiousness, but noting that Robinson Crusoe contracted it in isolation, suggesting it may have been inherent.

## Key lines

> Piety, like small-pox, comes by infection. Robinson Crusoe, however, caught it alone on his island. It is probable that he had it in his blood.

Piety is typically spread through social contact, like a disease, but Robinson Crusoe developed it in solitude, implying it might have been innate.

_The narrator uses an analogy to question the origin of piety._

## Links

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