Conscience — Volume 4

A physician endures persistent insomnia and haunting memories after recent deaths, experimenting with exercise and various medications before nearly falling into morphine dependence. Sleep eludes him despite physical exhaustion, and drug use briefly restores rest while undermining will and appetite. Tormented by visions of two dead people and the fate of a condemned man, he attempts moral repair by returning misappropriated money, yet guilt and agitation persist. Parallel scenes show another character losing her former cheerfulness under the weight of private sorrow. Themes include conscience, the psychological toll of remorse, the limits of self-treatment, and the struggle between duty and self-destruction.