Short Fiction · Chapter
According to Their Lights explained
Two down-and-out men, young Murray and the Captain, have fallen from respectable positions and now survive on the streets of New York.
What happens
Two down-and-out men, young Murray and the Captain, have fallen from respectable positions and now survive on the streets of New York. The Captain is offered money to testify against a former friend and inspector, but refuses out of loyalty. Murray, in contrast, considers betraying the Captain for a reward. The chapter ends with both men joining the Bread Line at midnight, embodying their respective moral codes.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Consequence
The Captain's fall from the police force due to corruption and the offer to testify against Pickering highlight themes of crime and its aftermath.
Ambition and Failure
Both Murray and the Captain have fallen from high positions, illustrating the failure of their ambitions.
Humor and Irony
The Captain's grandiose language and absurd attempts to improve his situation, such as proposing to a fruit seller, provide dark humor.
Characters to notice
- Young Murray
A fallen aristocrat who now lives on the streets; considers betraying the Captain for money but ultimately stays with him.
- The Captain
A former police captain reduced to poverty; refuses to testify against his friend Inspector Pickering despite the offer of money.
- Unknown Narrator
Third-person narrator who describes the setting and the moral choices of the characters.
Key passages
“New York is divided into two parts—above Forty-second Street, and below Fourteenth. You come from the other part. We both act according to our lights.”
New York is split between the wealthy uptown and the poor downtown; you're from the rich side, but we each follow our own moral code.
The Captain explains the social divide and justifies his refusal to betray his friend.
“I'd marry the Empress of China for one bowl of chop suey. I'd commit murder for a plate of beef stew. I'd steal a wafer from a waif. I'd be a Mormon for a bowl of chowder.”
I would do anything, even commit crimes or marry anyone, just to get a decent meal.
The Captain's hyperbolic speech underscores his desperation and hunger.
“I think I would play Judas for the price of one drink of whiskey. For thirty pieces of silver I would—”
I would betray anyone for a single drink of whiskey, just like Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
Murray expresses his willingness to betray for personal gain, contrasting with the Captain's loyalty.