In Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play, The Visit, the decrepit town of Guellen is offered the ultimate choice: it can lift itself out of poverty thanks to a gift from billionaire Claire Zachanassian , but in doing so, must abandon their morality and murder one of their own. As city leader, the mayor faces a particularly difficult battle between morality and money. And, just as the mayor represents the people in municipal government, the mayor's struggle also reflects the struggle that the entire city is experiencing; a slow, painful slide toward desire and decadent morality. Before Claire arrives in Guellen, the mayor, along with the entire town, considers Alfred III to be one of Guellen's most beloved citizens. This is demonstrated in the opening scene of the play, when the mayor's unchanged opinion on evil is expressed when he says: "I have sounded out the opposition: we have agreed to appoint you as my successor" (Dürrenmatt 15). Not only is Ill esteemed by the Guellenais, but they want him to become their leader, which clearly demonstrates the deep respect they have for him. This trust in Ill continues when Claire's return to Guellen is announced, and the town entrusts Ill with the task of obtaining a donation from Claire to revitalize the town. During a conversation with other city leaders, the mayor toasts the sick man and declares that he is “a man who does everything he can to improve our lot” (Dürrenmatt 27). In this same conversation, the mayor reveals his feelings about Claire's goal, stating, "I'll have it in the bag... He'll get thousands out of it" (Dürrenmatt 26). This degradation of Claire to nothing more than a source of money contrasts sharply with the mayor's admiration for Ill, but as the play progresses, the look of...... middle of paper ......they value Alfred Ill as their favorite citizen, and they continue their sordid lives. Naturally, they don't hesitate to defend Ill when Claire offers the city a million for Ill's murder. However, the seeds of desire were sown and they became a powerful challenge to the city's original values. This dissonance between desires and morals has caused the distress visible in the town's early behavior, and as the desire grows, it becomes impossible to resist. Therefore, in order to unite their morals and their desires, they change them, henceforth citing the condemnation of evil and the acceptance of money not as a yielding to desire, but as a deliverance of justice to correct the wrong that 'they had let it happen. The mayor's speech and the city's repetition of this speech cemented this change in morality, and Alfred III was unanimously "condemned" by this new court of justice...