In the short story “The Bet”, by Anton Chekhov, life in prison is proven to be the more humane option because the prisoner, “the lawyer” in this short story, may better himself through knowledge, reflection, and proves a higher moral stance over capital punishment. 	Life in prison allows for self-improvement through knowledge while the death penalty does not.  In the sixth year of the lawyer’s confinement, he begins “zealously studying languages, philosophy, and history” (Chekhov 110).  With capital punishment, the captive does not have the opportunity to learn or study the world; he is only executed.  Life imprisonment however, allows for studying culture and knowledge.  In the first year of the lawyer’s confinement, the “sounds of the piano could be heard continually day and night” proving that music and arts can also be learned while in captivity (Chekhov 110).  A captive prisoner is able to refine himself and become more cultured and intelligent therefore making life in prison a better option for self-betterment and a more humane option than the death penalty.