Sentence:  That this abandonment takes place on a stage , during an ' artistic ' performance , is enough to associate Jacoby with <WSD>art</WSD> , and to bring down upon him the punishment for art ; that is , he is suspect , guilty , punishable , as is anyone in Mann 's stories who produces illusion , and this is true even though the constant elements of the artist nature , technique , magic , guilt and suffering , are divided in this story between Jacoby and La^utner . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  the creation of beautiful or significant things