The Stainless Steel Rat · Chapter
XV explained
Jim diGriz, imprisoned for lèse-majesté in Freibur, deliberately provokes his jailers and refuses an offer of release in exchange for an apology, all to attract Angelina's attention.
What happens
Jim diGriz, imprisoned for lèse-majesté in Freibur, deliberately provokes his jailers and refuses an offer of release in exchange for an apology, all to attract Angelina's attention. After a week of waiting, a masked rescue team—led by a small figure he suspects is Angelina—attacks the prison and forcibly extracts him.
Themes in this chapter
The Hunt and the Hunted
Jim sets a trap for Angelina, becoming both hunter (by orchestrating his imprisonment) and hunted (waiting for her to spring him).
Transformation and Reinvention
Jim adopts the persona of Grav Diebstall, a rebellious noble, to manipulate his circumstances and attract Angelina.
Characters to notice
- Slippery Jim diGriz
Imprisoned and playing the role of a rebellious noble to bait Angelina; he refuses the King's leniency and waits for her move.
- Angelina
Implied to be the small masked figure directing the prison break; Jim suspects her identity.
- King Villelm
Referenced as 'King Villy' who wishes to end the affair quietly and offers Jim an apology deal.
- Grav Bent Diebstall
Jim's alias in Freibur; the prison governor addresses him as 'Grav Diebstall'.
Key passages
“Uncivilized as my behavior had been, the jailers persisted in treating me in a most civilized fashion.”
Despite my rude conduct, the guards remained polite.
Jim's ironic observation of the contrast between his actions and the jailers' response.
“The trap was open, all she had to do was step into it.”
I had set the bait; now I just needed Angelina to take it.
Jim reflects on his plan to lure Angelina through his public defiance.
“I tore it to pieces. 'Apologize? Never!' I shouted at them.”
I ripped up the apology paper and refused to say sorry.
Jim's dramatic refusal of the King's offer to maintain his rebellious image.