Gherland’s dreams about the sacrificed children suggests that like the mothers who lost their babies, he feels some sense of remorse and grief for them. This again shows that Gherland is more than just a cantankerous, powerful, and bad person—he does have emotions and sympathy for others, deep down inside. The choice to not apologize, however, means that Gherland suffers the ultimate punishment: he isn’t immortalized in stories, and so is forgotten.