Misfortune is needed to bring to light the treasures of the human mind.
Faria insists that pressure reveals metal. It’s a gentler way of saying what the whole plot proves—Edmond’s genius was smelted in darkness. The paradox doesn’t glorify suffering; it argues for what can be made from it. Teaching turns the cell into a school; the pupil becomes more than a victim. Emotionally, readers feel dignity being handed back to a man stripped of name and future. The line becomes a thesis for self-reinvention. Treasure is not only on Monte Cristo; it’s inside.