# LXIII explained — The Way of All Flesh

> Chapter companion for The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler.

## What happens

The narrator visits Theobald to inform him of Ernest's disgrace and imprisonment. Theobald reacts by disowning Ernest, refusing further contact, and offering a conditional hundred pounds. The narrator reflects on the systemic failures of upbringing and heredity that led to the tragedy.

## Themes in this chapter

### Heredity and Environment

The narrator reflects on how ancestral influences and upbringing shape character, questioning whether Ernest's faults are congenital or postnatal.

### Hypocrisy of Victorian Morality

Theobald's swift disownment and the family's self-righteousness contrast with the systemic failures of their religious and social milieu.

### Parental Tyranny and Filial Rebellion

The chapter details Theobald's harsh rejection of Ernest, continuing the pattern of parental cruelty and estrangement.

## Character check-ins

### Theobald Pontifex

Theobald meets the narrator at the station, learns of Ernest's disgrace, and promptly disowns him, refusing any further communication.

### Christina Pontifex

Christina is mentioned as Ernest's mother who idolized him; the narrator decides not to see her.

### Ernest Pontifex

Ernest is the subject of the bad news; his childhood suffering and the systemic failures of his upbringing are reflected upon.

### George Pontifex

George Pontifex is recalled as Theobald's harsh father, part of the ancestral chain of cruelty.

### Miss Maitland

Miss Maitland is the woman whose accusations led to Ernest's legal trouble; the narrator suggests the incident was exaggerated.

### Alethea Pontifex

Alethea is referenced indirectly through the narrator's decision to violate her instructions regarding Ernest's inheritance.

## Key lines

> I will have nothing more to do with him,” he exclaimed promptly, “I will never see his face again; do not let him write either to me or to his mother; we know of no such person.

Theobald immediately declares he will cut off all contact with Ernest, forbidding any letters or communication.

_Theobald's reaction is one of complete disownment, reflecting his rigid moral stance._

> If this proves to be the case, tell him from me that I will give him a hundred pounds if he will tell me through you when he will have it paid, but tell him not to write and thank me

Theobald offers a conditional hundred pounds to Ernest, but insists on no direct communication or thanks.

_The conditional offer shows Theobald's attempt to maintain control while distancing himself._

> If a man is to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, he must do so, not only as a little child, but as a little embryo, or rather as a little zoösperm

The narrator suggests that spiritual redemption requires a purity that extends back to one's ancestral origins.

_This reflects the narrator's deterministic view of heredity and moral development._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_of_all_flesh_se/chapters/lxiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_of_all_flesh_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_of_all_flesh_se/chapters