Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Miser explained
A Miser melts his gold into a lump, buries it, and visits it daily until a servant steals it.
What happens
A Miser melts his gold into a lump, buries it, and visits it daily until a servant steals it. A neighbor advises him to replace the gold with a brick, as the gold was never used.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the victor Cock, swollen with pride after his triumph, is sud…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Wisdom and Foolishness
The Miser's foolish attachment to unused gold contrasts with the neighbor's wise observation that a brick serves the same purpose.
- Human Nature and Vice
Explores the vice of greed and the irrational behavior of valuing possession over use.
Characters to notice
- The Miser
The protagonist who hoards gold and mourns its loss.
- The Thief
The servant who discovers and steals the buried gold.
- The Old Man
The neighbor who offers pragmatic advice to the Miser.
Key passages
“Don’t take it so much to heart, my friend; put a brick into the hole, and take a look at it every day: you won’t be any worse off than before, for even when you had your gold it was of no earthly use to you.”
The neighbor suggests that since the gold was never used, a brick would serve the same purpose as the treasure.
Highlights the central moral about the futility of hoarding.
