In The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick decides to confess his crimes to C. Auguste Dupin, the man who was betrayed by him years ago. Carl Lumbly plays Dupin.
Assistant US Attorney C. Auguste Dupin has been trying to expose the crimes of the Usher family for years now. Dupin is the man leading the Fortunato Pharmaceuticals case, and he faces Arthur Pym, the Usher family’s lawyer, in court.
However, in the next two weeks, all six of Roderick’s children die. Roderick then calls Dupin to his childhood home and tells him that he is going to give him that one thing that he has always wanted — Roderick’s confession of his crimes. As Roderick tells his story, Dupin becomes a listener, just like the audience.
Roderick and Dupin’s past
Once Roderick and Dupin start talking, it becomes evident that they have known each other for a long time. Whatever happened in the past affected their relationship and made Dupin bitter.
Years ago, when Roderick was just a regular employee at Fortunato and struggling to make ends meet, he met Dupin, who was a Medicare fraud investigator back then. Dupin was investigating Fortunato, and he wanted Roderick to work with him.
Dupin had discovered that Fortunato was making people participate in drug trials illegally, and he showed Roderick that the company was also forging his signatures to do the same. Dupin observed Roderick’s house and deduced his condition.
He understood that Roderick had responsibilities, but he still wanted his help. Roderick was hesitant, but his sister convinced him to work with Dupin. While building a case against Fortunato, Dupin became friends with Roderick and his wife, Annabel.
Finally, on the day of the deposition, when Roderick was supposed to blow the whistle, he changed sides, as his sister had instructed. Roderick did not testify against Fortunato.
Instead, he claimed that he had agreed to come there only because Dupin had a personal vendetta and had been harassing his family to get him to testify against Fortunato. Due to Roderick’s betrayal, Dupin ended up losing his job.
Roderick, on the other hand, went on to become the CEO of Fortunato. Dupin realized that he should not have trusted Roderick. He only trusted him in the first place because Annabel, whom he knew to be a good woman, trusted her husband.
The richest man in the world
Dupin had earlier said that he had an informant, a member of the Usher family, who would testify against the family. While talking to him, Roderick finds out that there was never an informant. Dupin had said that to turn the Ushers against each other.
Roderick tells Dupin everything about his and his sister’s life. Dupin gets his confession on tape, however unbelievable some of it is. Roderick had also told him that Lenore had been texting him all night and that Madeline was in the basement.
Dupin then finds out that Lenore is dead, and Roderick had killed Madeline before he arrived. It turns out Madeline did not die. She comes out of the basement, strangles her brother, and dies with him when the house collapses on them.
Dupin, who had run out in time, sees Verna standing on top of the ruins for a second before a crow takes her place. With all the Ushers dead, Dupin’s case becomes pointless and so does the confession.
Dupin decides to retire. He does not care why Roderick committed all those crimes, as none of his explanations will bring back the millions of people who died, so he visits Roderick’s grave and leaves the tape there.
Before leaving, he tells Roderick that he considers himself the richest man in the world. Unlike Roderick, who had material wealth, Dupin has his husband, children, and grandchildren waiting for him at home.
Also Read: Arthur Pym: The Fall of the House of Usher character explained