Chapter Forty Summary

Eugene concludes his sad tale of woe. He says that Matsumoto committed hara-kiri in Japan years after the riot, depressed by his declining health. Eugene recalls how General Florio arrested him one day for the crime of insurrection. Eugene says Matsumoto's death hit him hard because Matsumoto was a truly innocent man who never committed any offenses as far as Eugene ever witnessed. It seems as if Matsumoto's suicide is a rebuke of life's horrors, Eugene believes. Eugene recalls how he once asked Matsumoto why the warden never left the tiny prison town on weekends. The warden tells him it would be pointless to do so, because he would only meet more people. The warden states he wishes all humans had been born as birds. He sincerely believes the world would have been a better place if so. Eugene finishes his...