Edgar Allen Poe is known for writing disturbing short stories with psychotic narrators. Montessori in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is one of these notoriously insane characters. Foremost, Montessori traps Fortunato in the catacombs alive, only to get revenge for Fortunato’s insults. It is unclear what Fortunato exactly said or did, but any insult would not be a reason to kill someone in such an inhumane manner. After intoxicating Fortunato with Amontillado, Montessori chains him up in a niche and begins to wall up its entrance. Just before placing the final stone, “[he thrusts] a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within”. Fortunato, who is described as a “respected, admired and beloved” did not deserve a harsh death, regardless
