Hatred is blind, rage carries you away; and he who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught.
After witnessing a brutal execution, Franz warns that revenge intoxicates. The “bitter draught” metaphor makes vengeance a cup that poisons the drinker. It briefly flips the roles: the tourist is the moralist, the Count the avenger who listens but does not yield. The quote anticipates the Count’s later crisis when innocent pain forces him to reconsider his methods. Emotionally, the line captures dread of what anger can do to judgment. Readers feel the caution: rage narrows the eye until we miss the cost. It’s an early mirror held up to the Count’s creed.