When socrates was imprisoned for being a disturbing influence he
was held in very high esteem by his guards. all four of them hoped
that something would occur that would facilitate his escape. one
evening, the guard who was on duty intentionally left the door
open so that socrates could leave for distant parts.
socrates did not attempt to escape, as it was his philosophy that if
you accept society's rules, you must also accept its punishments.
however the open door was considered by the authorities to be a
serious matter! it is not clear which guard was on duty that
evening. the four guards make the following statements in their
defense: