A study of the psychology of guilt, often paired in analysis with Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart". In both, a murderer carefully conceals his crime and believes himself unassailable, but eventually breaks down and reveals himself, impelled by a nagging reminder of his guilt. A man overcome by alcohol sinks into wild depravity, goaded by his obsession with his black cat, escalates into disaster in this classic short story written by one of the world's most renowned horror writers.