# XIII explained — The Monster

> Chapter companion for The Monster by Edgar Saltus.

## What happens

Leilah receives news that Barouffski has been killed in a duel with D'Arcy, and she and Verplank begin to plan a new life together. Violet Silverstairs visits and presses Leilah about her intentions, while Leilah wrestles with guilt, theosophical reflections, and the impossibility of remaining with Barouffski.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate and Karma

Leilah contemplates karmic debt, the unity of all consciousness, and whether her suffering is retribution for past lives.

### Desire and Self-Destruction

Leilah acknowledges her own destructive impulses and the inevitability of her actions, despite knowing they are wrong.

### Scandal and Reputation

The duel, Barouffski's death, and Leilah's affair with Verplank threaten social decency and the proprieties of widowhood.

## Character check-ins

### Leilah Verplank

Grieves and rejoices at Barouffski's death, plans to leave with Verplank, and reflects on karma and theosophy.

### Violet Silverstairs

Visits Leilah, probes her plans, and suggests divorce, displaying a belligerent and manipulative manner.

### Barouffski

Reported dead, shot by D'Arcy in the garden; his death frees Leilah.

### Gulian

Verplank, bandaged and slinged, reacts to Barouffski's death and discusses future plans with Leilah.

### Emmanuel

The footman who announces Palencia and Tyszkiewicz, and observes the household's tension.

### D'Arcy

Shoots Barouffski in the duel, acting as the instrument of Leilah's liberation.

## Key lines

> Verplank tossed his bandaged head. “So this is the end!” Leilah looked up at him. “Gulian, no, not that. The end of the beginning, if you like. Hereafter we will be beginning anew.”

Verplank thinks Barouffski's death is the final conclusion, but Leilah insists it is merely the start of a new chapter for them.

_Leilah reframes the tragedy as an opportunity for renewal with Verplank._

> She looked at it, knowing that what she had done was wrong and what she was about to do was evil. But she felt also that she could not help herself.

Leilah is aware that her past actions were wrong and her future plans are sinful, yet she feels powerless to choose otherwise.

_Highlights Leilah's moral conflict and sense of compulsion._

> Violet, cocking a belligerent eye, threw out: “You carry moderation to excess.”

Violet sarcastically tells Leilah that she is too restrained in her response to Barouffski's abuse.

_Violet's aggressive encouragement for Leilah to take action._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_monster_se/chapters/xiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_monster_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_monster_se/chapters