The Return · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The epigraph quotes Sir Thomas Browne, warning against proximity to corruption and the danger of being tainted by evil influences.
What happens
The epigraph quotes Sir Thomas Browne, warning against proximity to corruption and the danger of being tainted by evil influences.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Alienation
The epigraph advises avoiding proximity to corruption, suggesting a need for separation from harmful influences.
Faith vs. Skepticism
The warning against 'tempting contagion' implies a moral or spiritual caution, reflecting a tension between faith in goodness and skepticism of the world.
Key passages
“Look not for roses in Attalus his garden, or wholesome flowers in a venomous plantation. And since there is scarce any one bad, but some others are the worse for him; tempt not contagion by proximity and hazard not thyself in the shadow of corruption.”
Do not expect to find good things in a place that is inherently evil. Since even one bad person can harm others, avoid getting too close to corruption and do not risk your own well-being by being near it.
The epigraph sets a tone of caution about moral contamination.