Fifth Notebook, Return to Civilization Summary and Analysis

In "The Prison in Santa Marta," Papillion easily escapes the Indian territory and finds himself in the company of some nuns. The Mother Superior of the convent turns him in and he admits to the police who take him into custody that he is the prisoner who escaped Rio Hacha. He is held in the prison at Santa Marta for a period of time in a dungeon that floods during high tide and where rats, crabs and other pests are a serious problem. He learns that in Colombia, men are sentenced to either less than twenty years or death, but never life in prison. He makes friends with a fellow prisoner who helps get word to a man who arranges Papillion's return to the general population.

In "The Cavale at Santa Marta," Papillion...