# V: “They Want to Take the Law Into Their Own Hands.” explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Manly Wade Wellman.

## What happens

Talbot Wills, arrested for John Gird's murder, is locked in a cell by Constable O'Bryant. A mob forms outside the town hall, demanding vigilante justice. Wills escapes through a window, flees across the square, and heads toward the Devil's Croft, a feared grove where the mob refuses to follow. He collapses inside, finding a warm, mossy, flower-scented environment contrasting with the blizzard outside.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fear and Control

The mob's fear and desire to control justice drive them to attempt lynching Wills, while the community's fear of the Devil's Croft controls their actions.

### Isolation and Otherness

Wills is isolated as an accused outsider; the Devil's Croft is a place of otherness, avoided by the community.

## Character check-ins

### Talbot Wills

Protagonist, arrested and imprisoned for John Gird's murder; escapes from a mob and takes refuge in the Devil's Croft.

### Constable O'Bryant

Locks Wills in the cell, reports the mob gathering, and leaves to confront them.

### Susan Gird

Mentioned as having told Wills about the Devil's Croft hedge.

### Otto Zoberg

Mentioned by Wills as someone who could support his innocence if recovered.

### John Frey

Mentioned as the victim whose death led to Wills' arrest.

## Key lines

> They act like they want to take the law into their own hands.

The mob is attempting to bypass legal proceedings and enact vigilante justice.

_Spoken by Constable O'Bryant, reflecting the mob's intent to lynch Wills._

> Nobody went into that grove—avoidance of it had become a community habit, almost a community instinct.

The Devil's Croft is so feared that locals instinctively avoid it.

_Describes the supernatural reputation of the grove, which provides Wills a temporary refuge._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_37_se/chapters/v-they-want-to-take-the-law-into-their-own-hands
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_37_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_37_se/chapters