Chapter 11 Summary

Lola's determined vow to get the truth out of Phyllis by creating a scene in the courtroom is the driving cause behind Walter's decision to kill Phyllis. He says that he must have realized it all along, but the prospect of Lola's stirring up a courtroom in the way she describes is too horrible for him to think about. This jeopardy, combined with the thought of losing Lola, drives Walter to concoct a plan to kill Phyllis and see that the finger of guilt points to Sachetti, so that the young man can never come around and steal Lola away him.

Walter even fantasizes about marrying Lola, forgetting about the whole thing and being happy with her the rest of his life. Here again, Cain further develops his theme that evil often has an "ordinary" exterior but a warped inside. The idea that...