Principles and Action

Rutherford reflects on the difficulty of applying abstract principles to concrete life, emphasizing the need for will, compromise, and the reconciliation of opposing forces rather than rigid adherence to dogma.

The narrator struggles with the dishonesty of his work, contrasting his own compromises with M'Kay's refusal to fake religious convictions.

Miss Leroy's father and the narrator's grandfather refuse to illuminate for a French defeat, demonstrating principled political dissent despite mob violence.

The chapter centrally examines the relationship between abstract principles and concrete action, arguing that true moral action requires reconciling multiple principles through will and resolution.