"The Beast of the Jungle" is a wonderful work of art of a genius at the heights of his power. The man in the story has a very close long term female friend. He has never married or had as far as we are told, any romances at all. He also has a long standing fear that something terrible is going to happen in his life. He uses this as an excuse not to pursue a romantic relationship with the woman as he does not want to involve her in the terrible thing that will happen to him. He genuinely likes her but it is a bit sad to see he values her mostly as it makes him seem less strange in the eyes of society. This for sure is a reference to the strong homophobic values of the society in which the story unfolds. The ending is perfect and when we find out what the beast in the jungle is it comes with a heartbreak. This is a very powerful story.