Why does the merchant feel ashamed for accusing the four young men of stealing his camel? Explain in your own words.
The merchant feels ashamed because he wrongly accused honest men of theft based on his own inability to understand how they could know about his camel without seeing it.
When the King validated their wisdom and dismissed his accusations as 'baseless and misguided,' the merchant realised his mistake.
His shame comes from recognising that he had misjudged men of wisdom as criminals and had made false accusations without understanding the truth.
Explanation
The chapter describes the merchant leaving 'chastened and embarrassed' with his 'face red with shame.' His shame stems from the public realisation that his accusations were wrong and that he had failed to recognise wisdom when he encountered it. The King's words—'Your accusations are baseless and misguided'—highlight the merchant's error in judgement.
Solution Steps
The merchant wrongly accused four honest young men of stealing his camel without understanding how they gained their knowledge
The King validated the young men's wisdom and declared the merchant's accusations as baseless and misguided
The merchant felt shame from publicly realising he had misjudged wise men as criminals and made false accusations