Chapter 20

Although there is no blatant reason why Dantes needs to play a three month waiting game with M. Morrel, it can best be interpreted as part of his psychology. The happiness that M. Morrel experiences at this mysterious salvation is intensified by the fact that he was forced to suffer for it, nearly committing suicide in the process. This again reflects Dantes innate belief that a man must suffer before achieving happiness.

Dantes masterplan involves constantly resurrecting people that he cares about, while simultaneously allowing others to die. His power over life and death is a form of divinity achieved through his suffering, and Dumas almost seems to imply that men can become god-like if they suffer enough (an indirect reference to Christianity and the suffering of Christ).