Finny rushes out of the Assembly Hall where Gene's trial is being held and begins running down the hallway. At this point, Finny fully realizes that Gene intentionally shook the branch, which caused Finny to fall from the tree. Finny denies it, thus forcing him to storm out of the room. When Finny reaches the marble staircase, he falls, breaking his leg once again. This injury kills him due to the doctor's error in setting the broken bone. Gene's feelings of spite can be directly linked to the events that occurred during and after the trial in the Assembly Hall. Consequently, the marble staircase symbolizes how Gene's spiteful feelings ultimately cause Finny's