Why does Curzon need Isabel at the end of Chains?
Throughout the course of the book, Curzon and Isabel have developed a close personal and political bond. They've been through so much together that it's unthinkable that they should be kept apart for long. But as Curzon languishes in jail, it appears that that's precisely what's going to happen.
It says a lot about the intensity of this relationship that Curzon doesn't just need to be rescued from jail; he needs to be rescued by Isabel. For Curzon, the personal and the political have coalesced to such a remarkable degree that there's simply no way to separate the two. If Curzon is to be freed from captivity, Isabel must be involved in some way, shape, or form.
Freedom, for both Curzon and Isabel, is, of course, hugely important. But it's not solely freedom for the individual that they need; it's a freedom whose benefits must be shared between them. This...
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is no abstract freedom, but a freedom built on the foundations of their shared experiences and, more importantly, on their mutual needs, both personal and political.
Curzon needs Isabel in a very literal and tangible way at the end of the novel because he is in prison. Curzon needs Isabel to break him out of prison and get him to freedom. Isabel does this because Curzon has always been nice to her, and he has also protected Isabel throughout the story. Isabel finally realizes the efforts that Curzon went through to make sure that Isabel was as safe from the Locktons as he could make her, and she decides that it is her turn to protect and help Curzon. Isabel goes to Bridewell prison and pretends to be cleaning the cells. She finds Curzon near death, and she manages to convince the guard that he is dead. The guard gives Isabel permission to cart him out of the prison to dispose of the body, and Isabel moves him out of there. She then sneaks the two of them to a dock, commandeers a boat, and rows the two of them to New Jersey. Without Isabel's help, Curzon would have surely died in prison.
When does Isabel decide to help Curzon in Chains?
Curzon is a wonderful friend to Isabel. He is the person that makes sure she knows how to get around town so that the Lockton household doesn't believe that Isabel is incompetent or lazy. He also is willing to give up food for her. Despite his kindness, it takes Isabel a great deal of time to return those kindnesses to him. She isn't immediately on board with spying to help Curzon, and I would argue that she only agrees to it for selfish reasons. Isabel doesn't decide to help Curzon for selfless reasons until chapters 34 and 35.
By this point in the story, Curzon and many other Patriot fighters have been captured and placed into a horrific prison. Curzon is slowly wasting away, and many of the white soldiers don't think Curzon is worth the effort of trying to keep healthy. Chapter 34 has Isabel learning about the prison's poor conditions and the fact that the Loyalists are not willing to do anything about it.
The chapter ends with Isabel being plagued with awful thoughts of what could happen to Curzon. Chapter 35 begins and Isabel is debating with herself about whether or not to go through with her plan to help Curzon. She remembers all of the times that Curzon has put himself on the line for her and helped her out, and that is the tipping point. Isabel decides that she will do what she can to help him survive in prison.