The Cask of Amontillado

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…are spent trying to justify something done in a moment of madness. Of course this is ridiculous. Fortunato is murdered in cold blood by Montresor, and it was Montresor's own wounded pride (together with his madness) which drove him to it. By the time they reach the cellar where the imaginary cask of Amontillado is supposed to be, Montresor has Fortunato trapped like a rat, and this poor victim has no possible chance for escape.