He also fails to stop the sailor from controlling him and he is absorbed by -- enslaved to -- his superstitions: This was the real Man with the Gash, the man who had so often robbed him in the spirit. This, then, was the embodied entity of the being whose astral form had been projected into his dreams, the man who had so frequently harbored designs against his hoard; hence -- there could be no other conclusion -- this Man with the Gash had now come in the flesh to dispossess him. And that gash! He could no more keep his eyes from it than stop the beating of his heart. Try as he would, they wandered back to that one point as inevitably as the needle to the pole.

Analysis of Kent's behavior shows us a man who was dazed by his grip for the gold. He was greedy, made irrational by his behavior, impulsive and rough due to his need to grip onto that gold at any price. Unable to think, he acted in one way after another and failed to think clearly. In Jacob Kent, we see an irrational man. When loading his gun, he does so with eyes closed trying not to see the scar. When approaching the sailor, he does so only with a great deal of effort in bearing the sight of the scar.

The sailor is right: the tragedy becomes a farce for Kent had rushed into motion not thinking beforehand that the sailor may be stronger and more youthful than he (as is the case) and may be able to overpower him:

Then, as the sailor had anticipated, the tragedy became a farce. Cardegee being the heavier of the two, Kent, throwing his body backward and down, could not lift him clear of the ground. Strain and strive to the uttermost, the sailor's feet still stuck to the floor and...

The remaining portion was supported by the point of contact just under his chin. Failing to swing him clear, Kent clung on, resolved to slowly throttle him or force him to tell what he had done with the hoard. But the Man with the Gash would not throttle. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed, and at the end of that time, in despair, Kent let his prisoner down.
Kent did not consider the possibility of his losing since he was overwhelmed by his greed and need to act. He had not plotted all his options and ways of acting beforehand so confused was he by his greed. His greed clouded him, mad him unable to think clearly and brought him to his destruction.

The sailor on the other hand, unclouded by greed, was able to think clearly. He was supremely confident and assured of his strength and capability not allowing him to be afraid by anyone or by any situation. We may assume that he had a pure and innocent mind. Greed did not plunge him into any hole.

The story, the man with the gash is one that provides many lessons. The one that I find most forceful and inspiring is the contrast between Jacob Kent and the sailor. Jacob Kent, driven by his greed, was unable to think clearly and acted impulsively and in a confused way. He was therefore clearly mastered by the sailor who, not driven by greed, was able to think clearly and take control of the situation.

The story shows us how greed can cloud the thinking and drive a man into destruction. Kent was controlled by superstition and love for his money. This absorbed his thoughts and controlled his thinking and the result was inability to think clearly and his ruin.