In "The Bet," we meet two men, a lawyer and a banker. The two disagree on whether it is worse to be sentenced to prison or killed. They end up making a bet. If the lawyer goes to prison for fifteen years, the banker will pay him two million rubles. As the story progresses, the two characters embark in a journey of self-knowledge. The lawyer discovers that he has an extremely strong and resilient spirit. While he is in jail, he reads, learns language and improves himself. On the other hand, during the same time period, the banker loses all his money and becomes miserable.
In "Everything That Rises Must Converge," the two main characters also experience safe-knowledge in some way. Julian, the recent college graduates, has to face the realities of his mother's behaviour. While he has never taken her ideas seriously, and has often mocked them, he is now faced with the consequences of them. On the other hand, the mother is also faced with the realization that her prejudice and close-mindedness have brought about her tragedy. This causes her to change the idea that she had of herself.
