Greed in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"

        A Clean, Well-Lighted Place was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1933. It takes place in a café at around two 'o'clock in the morning. The cafe's only customer at the time was a drunk old man. According to the waiters, the man was there drinking every night. "He's drunk now. He's drunk every night" (Hemingway 153). Similar to that of Fortunato in The Cask of Amontillado, the man could not turn down another brandy. After asking for an additional bottle of brandy, the younger waiter got frustrated and decided to remove the old man from the café so that the café could close for the night. 

        The old man exhibited signs of greed when he asked for another bottle of brandy while he was already drunk. According to the waiters, the old man drank at the café every night. For this reason, it is difficult to tell if he experienced an unfortunate event in this situation. The unfortunate event may have been that he was removed from the café, however, that was bound to happen sooner or later regardless of whether he asked for another brandy, as the café would later have to close, as it does every other night that the old man is there.