# How does The Third Round develop the theme of The Price of Secrets?

> The Third Round by H. C. McNeile

## Answer

The Third Round by H. C. McNeile develops The Price of Secrets across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

Knowledge—whether a scientific process or a blackmail file—is depicted as a dangerous commodity, with characters willing to kill, betray, or die to control it, underscoring that secrets have immense and often deadly value.

The secret of the Professor's discovery and the syndicate's actions to suppress it come at a high cost, leading to death and suspicion.

The secret of the diamond process drives Robinson to extreme measures, including imprisonment and threats.

Drummond's suppressed knowledge and the hidden motives behind Goodman's death weigh heavily.

## Evidence

- [iv-in-which-mr-william-robinson-arrives-at-his-country-seat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/iv-in-which-mr-william-robinson-arrives-at-his-country-seat.md): The secret of the Professor's discovery and the syndicate's actions to suppress it come at a high cost, leading to death and suspicion.
- [v-in-which-mr-william-robinson-loses-his-self-control](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/v-in-which-mr-william-robinson-loses-his-self-control.md): The secret of the diamond process drives Robinson to extreme measures, including imprisonment and threats.
- [vi-in-which-hugh-drummond-loses-his-self-control](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/vi-in-which-hugh-drummond-loses-his-self-control.md): Drummond's suppressed knowledge and the hidden motives behind Goodman's death weigh heavily.
- [vii-in-which-drummond-takes-a-telephone-call-and-regrets-it](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/vii-in-which-drummond-takes-a-telephone-call-and-regrets-it.md): The threatening letter offering Professor Goodman a large sum to suppress his discovery, and the subsequent explosion, illustrate the dangers and costs associated with keeping secrets.
- [ix-in-which-professor-goodman-has-a-trying-time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/ix-in-which-professor-goodman-has-a-trying-time.md): Goodman's scientific secret is the central object of desire, and its price is his freedom and the safety of his wife.
- [x-in-which-drummond-goes-on-board-the-s-y-gadfly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/x-in-which-drummond-goes-on-board-the-s-y-gadfly.md): Professor Goodman's secret knowledge of making diamonds puts him in mortal danger, and he realizes the promise of rejoining his wife was a lie.
- [xi-in-which-drummond-leaves-the-s-y-gadfly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/xi-in-which-drummond-leaves-the-s-y-gadfly.md): The secret of the Professor's process leads to danger and the need for rescue.
- [xii-in-which-he-samples-mr-blackton-s-napoleon-brandy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/xii-in-which-he-samples-mr-blackton-s-napoleon-brandy.md): The secret of Professor Goodman's process is the central object of desire. Its cost is measured in lives, and its destruction is a key act in the chapter, symbolizing the end of its power.

## Links

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