Chapter 11 Summary

What does Claggart have against Billy? Why is he "down on him"? One might suspect that something happened before the two found themselves together on the Bellipotent, but this was not the case. The narrator ascribes it to the tendency of a person to sometimes have a natural antipathy toward another without any obvious reason that can be a problem on a ship because of the close quarters. One crew member simply cannot avoid contact with any other crew member.

The narrator concludes that the reason is a certain moral depravity exists in some men but that does not come to light except when evoked by some special object. These men seem on the surface to be rational and even-tempered; but are , in fact not entirely sane. Claggart is this sort of man, according to the narrator; he is evil in a way...