1.20. A man in uniform stands on the beach of a
tropical island. He takes out a cigarette, lights it, and begins smoking.
He takes out a letter and begins reading it. The cigarette burns down
between his fingers, but he doesn’t throw it away. He cries. (RW)

1.20 answer: He is a guard/attendant in a leper colony. The letter (to
him) tells him that he has contracted the disease. The key is the cigarette
burning down between his fingers — leprosy is fairly unique in killing off
sensory nerves without destroying motor ability.