Adopting the persona of the banker in "The Bet," I would feel very relieved to read the lawyer's note for two reasons. First of all, the lawyer's rejection of the two million rubles would significantly improve my financial situation which, according to the text, is dire:
Fifteen years before, his millions had been beyond his reckoning; now he was afraid to ask himself which were greater, his debts or his assets.
Secondly, the lawyer's rejection of the bet also saves me from becoming a murderer. This is because the lawyer no longer poses a threat to my financial security.
Finally, as the banker, I might also experience a realisation that money is not everything. In his note, for instance, the lawyer rejects the money on the basis that it represents everything which he despises. After being alone with nothing but books for the last fifteen years, it seems to me that his wisdom is worth considering.
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