In Poe's classic short story "The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor is the unreliable narrator and protagonist who is obsessed with seeking revenge on his enemy, Fortunato. Before Montresor elaborates on his brilliant plan to get revenge, he expounds upon his strict definition of revenge. Montresor begins by stating that one must not only punish their enemy but do so with impunity. In other words, Montresor believes that it is necessary to not get caught while taking revenge. Montresor goes on to say:

A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser (Poe 1)

The word unredressed means "not set right" or "unfixed" while retribution is a punishment inflicted upon someone as vengeance. Therefore, Montresor is saying that a wrong will not be fixed or set right if punishment overtakes the person seeking revenge (redresser). This is another way of saying that one must avenge their enemy with impunity and avoid being punished for their actions. Essentially, Montresor is adamant about not being caught, arrested, or punished for getting revenge.

He feels that in order to get revenge one must maintain their wits and focus by concealing their intentions and carefully executing a foolproof plan, which is exactly what he does. For the remainder of the narrative, Montresor describes how he cleverly manipulated Fortunato into following him into the depths of his catacombs, where he proceeded to bury him alive. Montresor ends up getting away with his crime, which proves that he followed his own advice regarding vengeance.