In 1980, Mailer spearheaded convicted killer
Jack Abbott's successful bid for parole. In 1977, Abbott had read about Mailer's work on
The Executioner's Song and wrote to Mailer, offering to enlighten the author about Abbott's time behind bars and the conditions he was experiencing. Mailer, impressed, helped to publish
In the Belly of the Beast, a book on life in the prison system consisting of Abbott's letters to Mailer. Once paroled, Abbott committed a murder in New York City six weeks after his release, stabbing 22-year-old Richard Adan to death.
Consequently, Mailer was subject to criticism for his role. In a 1992 interview with the
Buffalo News, he conceded that his involvement was "another episode in my life in which I can find nothing to cheer about or nothing to take pride in."
意思是說，「自由」是要付出昂貴的代價的，所以，常見的情況是，既然付不起，乾脆就不要自由了，
