"The Bet" is an short story by Anton Chekhov concerning a philosophical divide between the values of earthly possessions and knowledge. A banker and a lawyer make a bet about which is worse: execution or life imprisonment. The lawyer is then locked in solitary confinement for fifteen years. While he educates himself, the banker loses his fortune. Fearing he will not be able to pay the bet, the banker plots to kill the lawyer who realizes he does not care for money and willingly loses the bet, saving his life.
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