"The power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already," A line from the Allegory of the Den in which Plato expresses his views that learning must come from within. He believed that it's not possible to put knowledge into the soul which wasn't there before because its like putting "sight into blind eyes." The prisoner that escaped the den and discovered something that couldn't be understood or explained to anyone, except him is an example of this. The prisoner had experienced something so different than the rest that no matter what, all the other prisoners wouldn't have the capacity to comprehend any of his views and where he was coming from. This theme is also seen in The Bet, were Chekhov uses the story of the lawyer and the banker to demonstrate a belief that the power and capacity for learning exists within the individual, and...