The scene opens in a side room of the palace, where the king and his retinue have gathered to collect their debts. The king tells the retinue that someone has broken into the palace and stolen the money. He says that the thief is running away from the palace because he has been punished by God for his sins. He asks the king to let the thief go, but the king refuses, saying that he has already punished the thief by God. He tells the king that the man has atrophied legs and a mind that has degenerated into a three-year old's state. He adds that killing the man will only put him in shame, and will only make him live a life of misery. He then asks the life master if he has found the murderer. The life master says that he did not find the murderer, but that the murderer has gotten the "cruelest punishment" in the world