#2, 429

Conrad's connections between London and the ancient Roman times illustrates the expansion of the Romans into mysterious and possibly dangerous places that had been so different than their motherland. The connection to ancient Rome illustrates a foreshadow effect to what we will probably see in the latter portions of Heart of Darkness, where the characters will explore the Congo, a place so drastically different physically and mentally from London. Therefore, Conrad's mentioning of ancient Rome is a simple foreshadowing device which allows the reader to understand the extreme differences between London and the Congo, and how the characters will perceive the different places they will explore.