In "The Lapse" by Machado de Assis, a group of desperate creditors consult Dr. Jeremias, a Dutch physician, about the behavior of a debtor, Tomé Gonçalves, who seems to have forgotten the notion of paying his debts. Jeremias diagnoses Tomé with a condition called "memory lapse" and reveals that there is a cure. The story explores the tension between creditors and debtors and the ironies of the human condition.
Über den Autor Machado De Assis
Joaquim Machado de Assis was born on June 21, 1839, in Morro do Livramento, one of the hills surrounding Rio de Janeiro, which is now a favela area extremely dangerous and unpleasant to walk through due to the paths of misery and violence.