Reply To: Book 17: Why does Louise include this story in the novel?
Louise seems to always find great quotes from literature and history to illustrate the themes in her stories. This quote goes to the heart of The Madness of Crowds, showing how people deal with injustice, cruelty, violence, etc. You can take action, or you can sit and watch, worry, talk, but do nothing to remedy the situation. It’s interesting that Gimache and Dr. Gilbert had this conversation because the two of them embody these ways to face the world. Gamache acts, Gilbert does not.