Fritz provides a delicate balance between sympathy and condemnation in her portrayal of one of the most vilified figures in American history. She acknowledges the facts of history: Arnold got off almost scot-free, even though his plot failed; he received a British pension that supported him for the rest of his life; and he never returned to America to stand trial for his crime. Nevertheless, Fritz clearly shows the destructiveness of his vanity, bitterness, greed, selfishness, and insatiable need for recognition and praise. With some care, Fritz shows that Arnold did have cause for anger but that his overreaction to apparent insult and his overweening pride led him to commit acts that can only be described as despicable.