The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness

Levi believes that Simon’s actions were right because they were the “lesser evil;” for Simon, forgiving Karl would have meant lying, or inflicting a “moral violence” upon himself. Forgiving Karl would have meant releasing him from the terror of punishment, but for Simon, it would have been meaningless.

Levi adds that, had Karl not been on his deathbed, he would not have repented until much later. It was also exploitative, as he was using Simon as a tool to unload his anguish onto someone who had already experienced so much suffering.