# The Price of Secrets in The Third Round

> Theme guide for The Third Round by H. C. McNeile.

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.

## Where it surfaces

- [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): 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.
- [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): The secret of the diamond process drives Robinson to extreme measures, including imprisonment and threats.
- [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): 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): 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): 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): 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.
- [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): 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): 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.
- [In Which Drummond Receives an Addition to His Library](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/chapters/xiii-in-which-drummond-receives-an-addition-to-his-library): Blantyre's death underscores the heavy toll of hidden dealings, while Peterson's taunting letter and book hint at the ongoing cost of the secret war between him and Drummond.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/themes/the_price_of_secrets
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_third_round_se/themes