Every once in a while, Lampedusa inserts jarring details from the future that underline the fact that the world, as it exists in the present, is dying. Here, the narration alludes to a World War II bomb that later destroys the seemingly permanent Ponteleone palace (this is likely a reference to Lampedusa’s own family estate, which was destroyed during the war). To the Prince, though, the source of decline is the lack of appreciation shown by new-moneyed men like Don Calogero—they don’t understand noble tradition, only monetary worth. Tancredi and Angelica, meanwhile, are still able to maintain the appearance of real love, even though wealth is their real motivation.