All the King's Men Lesson Plan

Why did Adam kill Willie?

Everything that Adam valued had been lost to Willie: his pleasure in his work, the ability to do what he considered good, and the idea that his family had been good. Adam had already seen his stable, private life destabilized and threatened; now he had told the Boss that his son was paralyzed, had conducted the surgery that revealed this truth (a frightening experience in itself), and then had learned that Willie was his sister's lover. As a result, he thought that even the compliment to his skill might not have been legitimate. Adam perceived Willie as having taken everything from him.

Willie declares that he will name the hospital for Tom, and...