He has made it to the pinnacle of evolution in Victorian England, the society chap. He realizes that the world has exploited him, but in one wonderful evening at the theater he was able to exploit the world, as Treves does, as his master does. Lynch gives a long sustained shot of his face working through all this information. The frame cuts to a picture on the wall of a man lying down in bed asleep. But people sleep lying down, and he is a person.
People also die.
Suddenly, Merrick feels at home in his sense of mortality. It is the common denominator that unites all living things. The last thing that Merrick realizes is that he is free to make a decision. Merrick lies down and goes to sleep. It is true that Merrick was already dying and was conscious of it before this scene happened.