This chapter's epigraph is from a famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Invisible Man." In this poem, a man who has been wronged by a woman is praised for his courage and strength. In this chapter, however, the poet is praised only for his strength and courage. In fact, the poem's title is a reference to the Marquis de Lafayette's poem, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave," in which the Marquis describes the slave's life as a struggle between his love for the woman and his fear of the woman's power. In the poem, the Marquis says that he has always kept his rules when it came to rewards and punishments, and that he believes he should reward the slave for his efforts. He tells the slave that he is worried that the slave will be hungry because he has drunk so much water without eating any food. The Marquis orders the slave to eat a full meal, and then he tells the servant to go talk to his father. He then tells the marquis to wait for him. The marquis wants to buy a vase of flowers from the emperor, but he doesn't have the money to do so. He wants to touch the vase, which was given to him by the emperor for his information. He also wants to take charge of the bathing treatment for yan er, which is to be performed the next day. This is a job that cannot be handed over to anyone else, and the Marquis is not sure when he will be able to free himself. He says he cannot believe the Marquis has threatened him, since the Marquis already asked him to do as he had ordered. He turns around and threatens to scald the slave if he does not take the bath.