The lawyer writes this letter on the night before he is due to win the bet and win back his freedom. According to the lawyer, before he is free to enjoy his life again, there are a couple of points that he wants to make clear to the banker.

First of all, the lawyer says that he despises "freedom and life and health." Anything that can be considered as one of life's pleasures is no longer desirable or enjoyable for the lawyer.

Secondly, in his letter, the lawyer also says that he has spent the last 15 years immersed in the world of his books. Thanks to these books, he has been able to experience a wealth of different scenarios, including watching the sunrise, climbing mountains, performing miracles and having relationships with women.

Next, he says that, although these books have given him lots of wisdom, he feels that this wisdom is pointless because he now knows the truth about every aspect of human life: that it is "worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive." Everything that man craves and enjoys is actually pointless and the lawyer despises all of it.

Crucially, based on this view, the lawyer renounces the two million rubles that he once described as "paradise." Money is no longer of any interest to the lawyer because he now despises human materialism.

In order to forfeit the money, the lawyer intends to leave his cell five hours before the deadline, therefore ensuring that he loses the bet.

Near the end of "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov, the lawyer writes a letter to the banker. In it he says that he will leave his cell five minutes before their agreed upon time is up and therefore forfeit the two million dollars the banker has agreed to give him if he stays for a full fifteen years. The lawyer says that money is meaningless, and he no longer wants it. He has learned a lot from the books he has read during the time he has spent incarcerated, and he knows he is smarter than everyone now. He goes on to write that he has come to hate books and everything about humanity. He chastises the banker for his pride and reminds him that death will take him and everyone else, so all that pride, beauty and every other human trait are useless. He says that what he once desired he now despises. The lawyer sees the folly of human beings, and he wants nothing to do with them anymore.