# Epigraph explained — The Return

> Chapter companion for The Return by Walter de la Mare.

## 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_return_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_return_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_return_se/chapters