Der Amokläufer

"Der Amokläufer" is a novella written by Stefan Zweig. The story is set in the early 1900s and follows a narrator who meets a doctor on a ship from Calcutta to Europe. The doctor tells the narrator about an encounter he had with a white woman who wanted a secret abortion. The doctor refused the offer, which angered the woman. Later, the doctor discovers that the woman's husband is a notorious mass murderer who has gone on a killing spree. The doctor is haunted by the realization that he could have prevented the tragedy if he had accepted the woman's offer. The novella explores themes of guilt, morality, and the consequences of our actions.