Valley of Fear

When Inspector MacDonald is speaking with Holmes of his interview with Professor Moriarty, he says that when the professor put his hand on his shoulder before leaving “it was like a father’s blessing before you go out into the cruel, cruel, world” (173) This is ironic because, given that MacDonald is a policeman, Moriarty no doubt holds nothing but hatred for the man; also, given Moriarty’s deeds, it is likely that he has greatly contributed to the evil in MacDonald’s “cruel, cruel world.”