Of what use were wings to a man fast bound in chains of iron?
After Peter had exchanged his shadow for the magic purse full of gold, his life became like in a golden cage – it seems you have everything required for carefree life, but at the same time you are not free fully and cannot come out on the streets. That kind of life Peter started leading after he gave his shadow, all the people who saw him shadowless either sympathized with him or simply laughed at him.
The world has never had reason to lament the scarcity of monarchs
This is an ironic allusion to the real situation of 1813-14 in Europe. Napoleon consciously crushed European states, creating everywhere microscopic monarchies, thereby realizing his political principle - "divide and conquer."
I drank in the fresh poison which the mysterious stranger had poured into my wounds with a furious avidity
The narrator suffers bitterly from the situation he has found himself in: the man in grey mercilessly tortures him by showing pictures of Minna’s wedding to another. Peter suffers greatly, but he has made up his mind not to sign the contract and give up his soul in any case.
He who once permits himself thoughtlessly to deviate but one step from the right road, will imperceptibly find himself involved in various intricate paths, all leading him farther and farther astray
To make mistakes is part of the human essence, and there is probably not a single person who has not made a mistake, but the consequences of this action might be differently accepted and pondered on by the one who has experienced this. Peter has done a mistake that has changed his life significantly, but he has decided to do none in future. To come back to the point where he has started is impossible for him, but he finds powers within himself to accept that and continue living. The author’s message is that it is up to everyone to follow a path of mistakes or to keep as far from it as possible.
