Talk:The Ghost in the Tree/@comment-91.157.229.206-20150708144349/@comment-24.224.139.202-20160216054408

Yeah, the Baron and Anna deserve each other. She cheated and he retaliated. In a way that is in no way acceptable in the modern world, but this isn't the modern world. This is a medieval fantasy setting. For all we know, the method of divorce in the Witcher universe is the same as it was during the middle ages for Christians: Chop her head off and find a new wife... in which case I would have to say the Baron chose the better moral option.

On top of all this, the Baron is quite clear that Anna intentionally provoked him and egged him on to beat her, she rubbed in his face she didn't love him, and was ultimately every bit as bad as The Baron, as she was spitting mallace in his face every chance she got. It's also quite clear that she was the love of his life, and he simply had a temper problem, a problem he accepted and wanted to change. The Baron who leads Anna away isn't the Baron who beat her, it's the Baron who married her, before she cheated on him.

The Baron was a troubled man, and a tragic hero that would make Oedipus himself proud. His own actions lead to his downfall and when faced with this realization swears to change his life. For that reason, I'd say he deserves a second chance. He's not a bad man, just a man who made bad choices. Anna ran off with HIS daughter, after all. This isn't a story set in 2016, The Baron couldn't jump on Facebook and FaceTime with Tamara every night, for all intents and purposes his daughter was ripped out of his life because his wife fell in love with another man. He IS the victim here, the ORIGINAL victim in the story. It's unfortunate that Anna became a victim as well of The Baron's tragic flaw (his temper), but that in no way invalidates that he was the first to suffer an injustice in their relationship. And, again, while the Baron beat her, she rubbed in his face that the love of his life didn't love him. NEITHER IS INNOCENT.