# XV: How the Warden Interpreted God’s Commandments explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant.

## What happens

The Dean and the Warden visit Doctor Heraclius in his study. The Doctor explains his dietary restrictions, which prohibit eating quails and other edible animals, comparing it to a Jew avoiding ham. The Dean reacts with blasphemy, while the Warden humorously twists the Fourth Commandment to justify eating one's parents if necessary.

## Themes in this chapter

### Obsession and Delusion

Heraclius's strict adherence to dietary rules reflects his obsessive scruples.

### Cruelty and Suffering

The Warden's darkly comic reinterpretation of the commandment suggests a casual attitude toward violence and suffering.

## Character check-ins

### Doctor Heraclius Gloss

Hosts the Dean and Warden in his study, explains his dietary prohibitions.

## Key lines

> the Doctor straightway told them of his embarrassing position and explained to them how quails and other edible animals were now prohibited to him just as ham was to a Jew.

Heraclius immediately shared his awkward predicament, comparing his ban on quails and other edible animals to a Jewish prohibition on ham.

_Highlights Heraclius's dietary restrictions and his sense of embarrassment._

> Devour thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land.

Eat your father and mother so you may live long in the land.

_The Warden's irreverent twist on the Fourth Commandment, showing his cynical humor._

## Links

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