Chapter 15.

Edmond Dantès endures cycles of hope, doubt, prayer, rage, and despair in solitary confinement. Denied any relief, he turns from supplication to man and God to suicidal resolve, choosing to starve himself. As weakness overtakes him, a faint, persistent scratching begins in the wall, renewing his will to think and test possibilities.

Dantès experiments to learn whether the sound is a sanctioned repair or a fellow prisoner’s escape. After he knocks, the noise stops—convincing him another captive is tunneling. He abandons his fast, regains strength, and decides to help, but lacks tools.

He breaks his jug for sharp fragments, then contrives to keep the iron soup saucepan and uses its handle as a lever. Working in secret, he removes a stone and conceals the debris. Progress halts at a beam, prompting a plea to God—answered by a voice from below. The stranger questions Dantès and reveals he is No. 27, imprisoned since 1811, who miscalculated his tunnel.

Dantès swears secrecy and companionship, speaks of his father and Mercédès, and persuades No. 27 not to abandon him. They agree on a plan and a signal. The next morning, after the jailer leaves, No. 27 shifts his approach; the floor beneath Dantès gives way, and the unknown prisoner emerges into Dantès’s cell, ending his isolation and opening a path to collaboration—and possible escape.