The conversation between the two men in the catacombs partly relies upon the conversation that got them there in first place. Montresor has convinced Fortunato that he has acquired a rare and valuable wine, but he is unsure if it is the real thing or not; he had planned to seek the expert advice of a friend. Fortunato, being something of a braggart, and drunk, thinks he is suitable for the task instead. Montresor insists that Fortunato should not come, because the catacombs where he stored the wine are damp, and this will aggravate Fortunato's cold. In fact, every element of this setup has been carefully constructed by Montresor to ensure that Fortunato follows him into the trap.
As they descend, Montresor makes note once more of the dampness, saying Fortunato should go back, though Montresor knows this will only stir Fortunato's jealousy and stubbornness, and encourage him to go...
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on.
Montresor also attempts to get Fortunato even more drunk, and they have a brief exchange, laced with dark and ironic humor on Montresor's part, about drinking to Fortunato's "long life", and how the Montresors are represented by a coat of arms that promises vengeance for an insult.
Montresor again entreats Fortunato to go back, but is met with refusal, and they crack another bottle of wine. Fortunato asks if Montresor is a mason, and by this he refers to the Freemasons, a fraternal order and "secret society". Montresor replies that he is, but shows Fortunato a trowel, a mason's tool, another moment of ironic humor and foreshadowing.
Finally they arrive at the site where Montresor intends to bury Fortunato, and their "conversation" comes to an end when Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall.
The majority of the conversation is characterized by Fortunato drunkenly stumbling his way past numerous pithy and dangerous implications spoken by Montresor, perhaps indicating an ego that factored into Montresor's inspiration to kill him.
References
In "The Cask of Amontillado," describe Montresor and Fortunato's conversation in the catacombs.
The author Edgar Allan Poe had a problem with the dialogue that would go on between Fortunato and Montresor on their long journey through the catacombs. This is why he gave Fortunato a cold and a bad cough. Poe even used a line of quotes consisting of tthe single sound "ugh" just to show how bad Fortunato's cough is. The cough is to prevent him from asking too many questions. He would naturally be expected to ask where Montresor bought the wine, when did he hear about it, how much he paid for it, whom he bought it from, and other related questions. Montresor would have had a hard time lying repeatedly without arousing Fortunato's suspicions. This is also why Poe has Montresor keep Fortunato drinking. Fortunato consumes the lion's share of two bottles of French wine en route to the nonexistent Amontillado and his doom. The only subjects they talk about are Montresor's coat of arms and about the Masons. Montresor gets a little tipsy himself from sharing some of the wine with his intended victim. That is why he behaves in a somewhat zany manner, showing the trowel and claiming to be a Mason. Chances are that Poe did not really know much about Amontillado except that it was a gourmet Spanish sherry. This would be another reason why he wanted to give his character Fortunato a cold and a cough to avoid a lot of discussion of Amontillado. There is actually hardly any significant dialogue between the two men from the time they meet in the street until Montresor has succeeded in chaining Fortunato to the granite wall.
As they walk into the catacombs, Fortunado begins coughing.
Fortunado even says:
“Enough,” he said; “the cough's a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.”
This is an example of foreshadowing, because he does die at the end of the story.
This is also ironic because the narrator gets him to drink, because he’s so concerned about the cough. He is tricking Fortunado into trusting him and letting down his guard.
As they continue, they discuss the vaults and the wine that is supposedly found there. The most significant part of the conversation is not actual conversation, but Montressor’s thoughts. He is planning to get revenge on Fortunado, even while pretending they are the best of friends.
In "The Cask of Amontillado," how does Fortunato insult Montresor in the catacombs?
At one point, Fortunato repeats a grotesque gesture, allegedly a sign of the mason brotherhood. He asks Montresor if he understands, which Montresor does not. Fortunato concludes that Montresor is not a mason. But Montresor claims that he is. This may not be a direct insult, but Fortunato seems indignant and can not believe that Montresor is from the same brotherhood as he claims to be. Fortunato repeats this gesture so this could be considered a second instance of insult:
He laughed and threw the bottle upward with a gesticulation I did not understand.
I looked at him in surprised. He repeated the movement--a grotesque one.
Fortunato insults Luchesi, calling him an ignoramus; this is the most obvious insult from Fortunato. But while Fortunato and Montresor are in the catacombs, Fortunato does not really insult Montresor in any overt way. The only other possible insult is that Fortunato notes that he does not remember Montresor's coat of arms. This seems like a stretch to call it an insult, but if family pride was paramount in this social circle, knowing each others' coat of arms might have been assumed. The compelling and confounding thing about this story is that the reader doesn't really know how Fortunato has wronged Montresor in the first place. Each example of an insult, above, is a bit of a stretch. While Fortunato does seem stubborn, proud, and drunk, he does not overtly insult Montresor (with the possible exception of the mason remark) and that's what makes the story provoke so many questions, such as: "Did Fortunato deserve such a fate?" and "Was Montresor guilty and/or did he feel guilty in any way?"