This chapter's epigraph comes from a famous line in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, "To hell with him!" . It's a quote from the play's protagonist, Shylock, who says that Shylock's greatest weakness is his lack of self-control. Shylock says that he'll never be a hero because he doesn't know how to control his emotions. He's not a hero, he says, because he's afraid of losing his job, his family, his friends, and his reputation. He wants to be a normal person, not a super hero. He also wants to teach at the academy with the attitude of a "bastard." Shylock is so upset that he can't stop talking to his sister-in-law, who's about to pick up a fight with the protagonist's son. The two of them decide to split up and fight.