The settings seem idealistic for the narrator’s plans of killing his friend. Montresor proves to be a skilled manipulator, using Fortunato’s pride to lure him deep into the catacombs. It can be said that Montresor is a rather cruel, crazy, and frightening person since the murder takes place during the carnival. Montresor calmly declares that the night of the murder occurs “during the supreme madness of the carnival season.”
Calling the carnival night madness, Montresor thus calmly refers to the murder of his friend, like a person succumbing to the mad mood around him. Despite the carnival being a bright and happy event, Montresor does this by killing his friend in the catacombs. The catacombs, in this case, are the opposite of the carnival and reflect the soul of Montresor as a frightening and cruel person. The narrator says that he ceased his labor and “sat down upon the bones.” Such a statement reflects his cruelty, a man calm about death, as it surrounds him.