# Fate and Free Will in The Room in the Dragon Volant

> Theme guide for The Room in the Dragon Volant by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

The prologue's reference to Doctor Hesselius's essay on drugs and the prophetic fortune-teller suggest a deterministic undercurrent, yet the protagonist's choices—driven by desire and curiosity—actively lead him into the trap.

## Where it surfaces

- [XIII: The Oracle Tells Me Wonders](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_room_in_the_dragon_volant_se/chapters/xiii-the-oracle-tells-me-wonders): The oracle's predictions and the narrator's credulous acceptance suggest a belief in fate guiding his romantic destiny.
- [XXVI: Catastrophe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_room_in_the_dragon_volant_se/chapters/xxvi-catastrophe): The narrator reflects on the 'terrible lesson' that shaped his later life, suggesting a providential intervention that turned him toward better paths.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_room_in_the_dragon_volant_se/themes/fate_and_free_will
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_room_in_the_dragon_volant_se/themes