# VI explained — The Nature of a Crime

> Chapter companion for The Nature of a Crime by Joseph Conrad.

## What happens

The narrator reflects on his impending death and the nature of his gambling, which he sees as a refuge from his obsessive thoughts. He reveals that he has entered his biggest gamble yet—a corner in a commodity—and discusses his dread of imprisonment, his contempt for those who trust him, and his final arrangements, including the surprising news that Edward Burden's husband is almost cured. He also receives an incomprehensible note from Edward Burden asking for money, which may precipitate his crash.

## Themes in this chapter

### Gambling and Risk

The narrator explicitly distinguishes gambling from speculation, framing it as a way to escape thoughts and engage with caprice. He enters his biggest gamble as a protest against being called a man of action.

### Suicide and Death

The narrator contemplates death as a refuge from exposure and imprisonment, and discusses the difference between death for a man of action versus a man of thought.

### Deception and Trust

The narrator despises Edward Burden for trusting him and takes satisfaction in fooling fools, while also fearing the exposure that would end his ability to deceive.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

Reflects on his identity as a 'dead man' and his gambling as an escape from thoughts of his beloved. He reveals his biggest gamble and his dread of imprisonment.

### Edward Burden

Sends an incomprehensible note asking for particulars about his estate and a loan, which may precipitate the narrator's crash.

### Miss Averies

The narrator's beloved, to whom he writes, revealing his final dispositions and his obsession.

## Key lines

> I have gambled—to escape from you: I have tried to escape from my thoughts of you into divining the undivinable future.

I gamble to avoid thinking about you, attempting to lose myself in predicting the unpredictable.

_The narrator reveals the true motive behind his gambling._

> It is my protest against being called a man of action, the misconception that I have had to resent all my life.

This gamble is my way of rejecting the label 'man of action' that I've always resented.

_The narrator frames his biggest gamble as a philosophical statement._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_nature_of_a_crime_se/chapters/vi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_nature_of_a_crime_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_nature_of_a_crime_se/chapters