“A Treatise in Chains” (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 16 – Part 11)

While Dantès equates escape with salvation, Faria introduces a different form of liberation: thought. In this passage, the abbé explains how he’s spent years not just digging through stone—but writing a political philosophy in secret, by hand, with self-made tools. Ink, paper, even the pen itself—constructed from the scraps of captivity. The plan to escape may have failed—but the mind escaped long ago.   Subscribe for daily readings and reflections. Support bonus episodes and full-length story-only audio on Patreon: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod Join the discussion on Discord.