3 Review(s)

This story revolves around a wager made between a wealthy banker and a young lawyer. The banker argues that capital punishment is more humane than life imprisonment, while the lawyer contends that any form of confinement is worse than death. To settle the debate, the banker proposes a bet: if the lawyer can endure fifteen years of solitary confinement, he will win two million rubles. The lawyer accepts the challenge and spends the years in isolation, gradually coming to a profound realization about the nature of life and human freedom. The story is a powerful meditation on the value of life, the nature of freedom, and the moral implications of extreme isolation.