This chapter's epigraph is from a famous poem by the English poet Henry David Thoreau, in which he laments the loss of life and the destruction of the natural world. In this passage, Thoreau laments that his life has been ruined by his inability to protect his family, his friends, and his community from the evils of the world around him. He also bemoans the fact that he has been unable to save his family and friends from the evil of the outside world. The poem ends with a soliloquy in which Thoreau describes himself as a "normal" college student who has been given many opportunities and powers through sheer luck. He admits that his powers have confused him, but that one thing that he is not willing to give up is his love for his fellow human beings. This is the moment when he feels like his pride and confidence have been smeared all over him, and that he will never be able to tolerate such insults. He resolves to disrupt the evil that has befallen him.