| Quote #10 The man had shrunk down, thoroughly quelled by the ferocity of the crowd and the impossibility of escape. (50.89) |
Sikes climbs out onto the roof in his final escape attempt, and realizes that there’s no escaping from the fury of the mob – it’s not the "inevitability of justice" or anything moralistic like that that he’s confronted with here, it’s the brutal "ferocity" of a crowd of fellow humans whose sole intent is his capture and punishment.