VI explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Evil and Predation

  Ricardo's predatory instincts are laid bare—his lust, jealousy, and thirst for blood are intertwined with a savage triumph, while Mr. Jones's refined cruelty seeks to humiliate Heyst through a gambling trap.

• Illusion vs. Reality

  Ricardo hides the reality of Lena's presence from Mr. Jones, maintaining a false front of loyalty while secretly pursuing his own agenda, and Mr. Jones's plan to use a game as a 'refined' form of extortion masks the brutal truth of their intentions.

• Gender and Power

  Ricardo's obsession with Lena reveals a dynamic where he sees her as both a vulnerable object of desire and a potential ally, while his decision to conceal her existence from Mr. Jones asserts his own control over the situation.

Characters to notice

• Martin Ricardo

  Lingering on the verandah, he spots Heyst and Lena walking together and decides to hide the woman's presence from Mr. Jones, driven by a volatile mix of lust, jealousy, and a sense of kinship.

• Mr. Jones

  Confined to the bungalow, he discusses strategy with Ricardo, proposing a refined gambling scheme to humiliate Heyst, revealing his personal vendetta against society.

• Pedro

  Returns from his errand and reports the direction Heyst and Lena took, but Ricardo dismisses him to keep the woman's presence secret.

• Axel Heyst

  Seen walking with Lena in the clearing, his movements observed by Ricardo, who speculates on the meaning of this change in policy.

• Lena

  Mentioned as the woman walking with Heyst; Ricardo's thoughts about her are charged with desire and a sense of shared identity.

Key passages

• “He did not mistrust her. How could he? Indeed, he could not think of her existence calmly. He tried to keep her image out of his mind so that he should be able to use its powers with some approach to that coolness which the complex nature of the situation demanded from him”

  Ricardo felt no suspicion toward Lena; in fact, he couldn't think of her without agitation. He struggled to suppress her image in order to maintain the composure needed for the delicate situation.

  Reveals Ricardo's emotional turmoil and his strategic attempt to control his feelings.

• “His passions being thoroughly aroused, a thirst for blood was allied in him with a thirst for tenderness—yes, tenderness. A sort of anxious, melting sensation pervaded and softened his heart when he thought of that girl—one of his own sort.”

  Ricardo's intense emotions fused a craving for violence with a yearning for affection; thinking of Lena as a kindred spirit filled him with a tender, anxious warmth.

  Highlights the paradoxical blend of brutality and tenderness in Ricardo's character.

• “I mean to have some sport out of him. Just try to imagine the atmosphere of the game—the fellow handling the cards—the agonizing mockery of it! Oh, I shall appreciate this greatly. Yes, let him lose his money instead of being forced to hand it over.”

  Mr. Jones intends to toy with Heyst by making him lose his money in a card game, savoring the humiliation and mockery rather than simply taking it by force.

  Illustrates Mr. Jones's refined, sadistic pleasure in psychological torment.