In the novel Fifth Business, by Robertson Davies, a young man named Dunstable Ramsey is cursed with the burden of guilt for the rest of his life. He feels the guilt of what he has done so keenly because he believed what happened should have been to him. He carries the responsibility for the rest of his life, which debilitates him a great deal. Not only does he feel responsible for the Paul's Fate but also for the Staunton's.
             Dustan feels the guilt of causing Mrs. Dempster to be "simple" and for her premature labor, resulting in Paul, very keenly. At the start of the novel he says, "I was contrite and guilty, for I knew that the snowball had been ment for me." (p11).
             He felt that what happened was his entire fault and that he would never be able to forgive himself. While carrying this guilt he had no one to share it with and this wore on him immensely, "So I was alone with my guilt, and it tortured me." (p23). Even though he was a young boy you was never able to let it go.
             The guilt of what had happened to the whole Dempster family was so debilitating for Dunstan that he was never able to live a normal happy life. His whole life seemed to be dedicated to Mrs. Dempster and Paul, almost like pay back for what he had done. As a boy his mother sends him to take care of Mrs. Dempster and her premature child Paul, even though she has a husband that does his best to take care of her. At the start he does things for the family like housework but once Mr. Dempster finds out of his magic he is banned from the house forever. However this does not stop Dunstan, "After that I went there two or three times a week, with a daily paper, or a copy of our own Banner, and I read thing to her that I knew would interest her, and kept her up on the gossip of the town." (p52). Not only does the guilt debilitate him as a child but also the results of the accident and having to take care of Mrs. Dempste...