This chapter's epigraph comes from a famous line in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. It's a quote from the play's first soliloquy, in which Shylock asks Shylock why he's so cruel. Shylock replies that he'd rather die than be cruel to his family and friends. He's also worried that if he dies, the rest of the gang will inherit his family's wealth. He doesn't want to be a part of a family that's going to be ruined by his death. He also worries that if the gang dies, he'll have no one to blame but himself.