What Collins could see was that Melville had usurped his role. Hurt and resentful, Collins increasingly withdrew to his room, and he began to flout De Long’s rules. He would not go out and exercise, and he refused to let Dr. Ambler examine him for the monthly medical report. He would sleep late, smoking through the midmorning, dawdling with his chores. With each passing day, he became more marginalized.
