After becoming a fugitive Thady moves through places such as Aughacashel before recognizing that he did not deliberately murder Ussher but acted impulsively in what he believed was the defence of his sister, and he ultimately submits himself to the law, while Feemy, secretly pregnant with Ussher’s child, deteriorates physically and emotionally and Larry loses his grasp on reality as Thady’s coming trial becomes entangled with public fears about crime, agrarian conspiracy, and the political tensions of contemporary Ireland. Although the defence argues that Ussher’s death was unpremeditated and occurred when Thady believed he was protecting Feemy, the jury finds him guilty and he is eventually hanged, while Feemy dies in connection with the birth of Ussher’s child and Larry sinks completely into insanity, leaving Ballycloran empty and bringing the Macdermot family’s decline to its tragic conclusion through a collision of poverty, exploitation, social prejudice, law, and personal responsibility.