Montresor does not go into detail about what specifically motivates him to murder Fortunato but does mention that Fortunato had caused him a "thousand injuries" before insulting him one last time. Fortunato is depicted as an arrogant, proud man, who openly insults individuals like Luchresi without thinking twice.
Montresor is portrayed as a vengeful individual, who takes pride in his heritage and family's impressive name. While Montresor leads the unsuspecting Fortunato into the depths of his catacombs, he mentions that his descendants were "great" and "numerous." He also spends time elaborating on his family's coat of arms and motto, which means "No one provokes me with impunity"—this emphasizes his terrifying plan of revenge.
Given Fortunato's propensity for insulting individuals and Montresor's family pride, one can assume that Fortunato more than likely insulted Montresor's family name, which motivates him to murder Fortunato by burying him alive in the vaults of his palazzo.
Montresor says he has suffered a "thousand" injuries from Fortunato but that, in the end, it is an insult that leads him to plot revenge. However, although he feels his pride has been damaged, Montresor never reveals exactly what the final, unforgivable insult was that led him to believe he needed to protect his pride and family honor through murdering another person in a horrendous way.
We have to wonder if the actual injuries and insult have gradually become less important to Montresor as he stuffs down his anger—smiling and pretending everything is fine—and then consumes himself with plotting vengeance. The revenge seems to have taken on a mad life of its own. One wonders what Fortunato could possibly have done that was so terrible that he deserves the fate of a slow death walled up in a catacomb.
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