"I think ill of the past," he said, "and cannot have been mistaken in that way. What! Could the goal that I set myself have been wrong? What, have I been on the wrong road for the past ten years? What, can it be that in a single hour the architect can become convinced that the work into which he has put all his hopes was, if not impossible, sacrilegious?
"I cannot accept that idea, because it would drive me mad." (113.5-6)
If you've ever spent a long time working on anything you know the feeling: that gnawing fear that maybe, somewhere you got off track, that you didn't follow directions and are now doing exactly what you were trying to avoid.
"So, do live and be happy, children dear to my heart, and never forget that, until the day when God deigns to unveil the future to mankind, all human wisdom is contained in these two words: 'wait' and 'hope'!" (117.150)
The Count strips away all the dirt and the grit and the blood and gets down to the wholesome core. The Count of Monte Cristo isn't just about revenge – it's about patience and optimism.
"and Ali, lying in his tomb, left the traitor unpunished, but I, who have also been betrayed, assassinated and cast into a tomb, I have emerged from that tomb by the grace of God and I owe it to God to take my revenge. He sent me for that purpose. Here I am." (89.43)
Here, though, Monte Cristo tells Mercédès that God requires someone to do his will, and that he is that man.