The third chapter in the novel, 'Chronicle of a Death Foretold,' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is based essential on the ignorance of society, as well as the negligence of Pedro and Pablos' actions of assassinating Santiago Nasar, to restore the lost honor of the loss of their sisters' virginity. The centralized theme of the novel, and highly referred to within chapter three is honor. The novel set in a Columbian town recognizes the importance of culture withing civilization, and the impact it has on peoples' ways of living. Garcia expresses the meaning of someone's honor, and indicates it to be seen as a necessary moral trait that is fundamental to keep intact; the incentive of the Vicario brothers to kill a man who was claimed to have taken a woman's virginity was purely based on an accusation made by their sister, Angela Vicario, who had no justification or evidence of their sexual relationship with each other. .
As suggested in the previous chapters, Santiago was accused of having taken Angela Vicario's virginity before her marriage, therefore eliminating her high status in society. The importance of honor within their culture made it important for the men of the family, Pedro and Pablo, to restore what was disregarded from previous actions. The arrogant claim by the "more tough and serious" brother, Pedro was "we killed him openly [] but we're innocent' as well as "we're going to kill Santiago Nasar," supports the idea of their self-lust and obligations to restore their sisters' pride.
The significance of the role of Pablo's wife-to-be, Prudencia Cotes, within the novel is a big aspect of exploring the theme; her persona emphasizes the importance of standing up for beliefs and cultural perspectives, regardless of the consequences. Cotes makes this clear by claiming that if her fiancée had not upheld his sister's honor in society by killing Santiago Nasar, she would have never married him; on the other hand, as he did follow on his plan, Prudencia waited for his release from prison in order to be wedded.
