Summary of “The Bet” by Anton Chekov

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Summary of “The Bet” by Anton Chekov
The story begins at a party where guests are debating which punishment is more humane: death penalty or life imprisonment. A young lawyer argues that life in prison is better than death, while a wealthy banker insists that death is kinder. To settle the argument, they make a bet:
The lawyer agrees to spend 15 years in solitary confinement.
If he succeeds, the banker will pay him two million rubles.
During the long years of imprisonment, the lawyer studies many subjects—languages, philosophy, literature, science, religion—trying to gain wisdom.
As the 15 years near an end, the banker is nearly ruined financially and realizes he cannot afford to pay the lawyer. Desperate, he plans to secretly kill the lawyer before the bet ends.
But when he sneaks into the lawyer’s cell, he finds a letter. In it, the lawyer declares that he has come to despise material wealth and worldly pleasures. He renounces the two million rubles and says he will leave the cell five hours before the agreed time, breaking the bet himself.
The banker feels relieved but also ashamed of his selfishness.

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